r  « 


.^"i  OF  PftWr 


({:^nrr^ 


MERCEllSBUKG 


QUARTERLY  REVIEW, 


OCTOBER,  1856. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION 


/rnttklin  niii  JKarsIiall  CnlUgB. 


Neque  eaim  quaero  intelligere  ut  credam,  sed  credo  ut  intelligam. — Amelm 


VOLUME  VIII.— SECOND  SERIES,  NUMBER  IV. 


Clianihrsliiirg,  ^^.: 

PRINTED    BYM.    KIEPFEaACO 
1856. 


OCTOBER  NUIVIBER  FOR  18ot>: 


i:RIICLE.  rAGE, 

I.  American  Nationality,        .       -       .        -         r)01 

By  Philip  SchaflP,  D.  D.,  Mercersburg,  Fa.  ^ 

II.  Rev.  Jacob  Lischy,      -        -        *        -        -        52-^ 

By  Rev.  H.  Haibaugb,  Lancaster,  Pjv, 

III.  Christian  Hymnology,       .        -        -        -        Mi> 

By  John  W.  Nevin,  D.  D.,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

IV.  Historical  Pretensions  of  Free-Masonry,        581 

By  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

V.  The  Character  of  an  Earnest  Man,         -  t)0(> 

By  Prof.  E.  V.  Gerhart,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

YI.  Typical  Character  of  the  Old  Testament 

Church, -  615 

By  Prof.  T.  Apple,  Lancaster,  Fa. 

VII.  Short  Notices,        -       -       .        «       .        ggo*' 


^  NOV    2    1932 
THE  Vli^  ^ 


MERCERSBURG  QUARTERLY  REVIEW: 


OCTOBER,   185G. 

y 

Art.  III.— christian  HYMNOLOGY. 
[Composed  from  Alt's  "  Der  Christliciie  Ci'ltu?."] 

To  begin  with  the  Apostolical  period,  it  is  acknowledged  on 
all  hands  that  Christians  then,  as  was  the  case  with  the  Jews 
in  general,  made  use  of  the  Psalter  for  singing,  both  in  public 
and  private  worship;  and  so  when  the  Reformed  Church,  in 
the  time  of  Calvin  and  Beza,  confined  itself  to  the  same  psalm- 
ody, it  may  be  considered  in  one  view  to  have  been  a  return 
to  the  primitive  usage.  St.  Paul  himself,  however,  (Eph.  5: 
19  ;  Coloss.  3  :  IG,)  along  with  psalms  makes  mention  of 
''  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  f'  and  the  opinion  of  the  Reform- 
ed theologian,  Le  Clerc,  that  these  passages  also  refer  simply 
to  the  Psalter,  designating  with  the«e  three  names  only  three 
different  sorts  of  psalms,  is  not  likely  to  be  sanctioned  now  in 
any  quarter.  As  naturally  as  the  term  "psalms"  in  both 
passages,  refers  to  the  sacred  songs  contained  in  the  Psalter, 
so  plainly  are  we  required  to  conceive  of  the  "  hymns  and  odes" 
as  referring  to  other  compositions.  Nor  need  we  be  at  any 
loss  with  regard  to  these.  Such  hymns  we  meet  with  in 
the  Old  Testament ;  for  example,  the  triumphal  song  of  Moses 
(Ex.  15.),  the  songs  found  in  the  32nd  and  33rd  chapters  of 
Deuteronomy,  the  victory  chant  of  Deborah  (Judges  5.),  the 
thanksgiving  of  Ilezekiah  (Isaiah  38.),  &c  ;  and  still  later  spe- 
cimens of  Jewish  composition  in  the  same  line,  are  presented 
to  us  in  the  book  of  Sirach  (ch.  44-50.),  and  in  the  song  of 
the  Three  Men  in  the  Fiery  Furnace.  As  regards  the  "  spir- 
itual songs,"  or  "odes,"  mentioned  by  St.  Paul,  we  need  only 
call  to  mind  the  custom  which  prevailed  among  the  heathen,  of 
joining  with  their  religious  sacrifices  and  banquets  all  kinds  of 
songs,  the  contents  of  which  could  not  fail  to  be  in  many  ways 
offensive  to  those  who  were  converted  to  Christianity.  In 
26 


650  Christian  Hymnologij,  [October, 

opposition  to  these  heathenish  songs,  the  followers  of  Christ 
are  called  upon  to  sing  such  as  were  spiritual  and  edifying ;  a 
practice  not  without  some  precedent,  as  we  may  learn  from 
Philo,  even  among  the  serious  minded  JEssenes,  at  whose  meals 
in  common  some  one  always  chanted  a  hymn  of  praise  to  God, 
either  composed  by  himself  or  borrowed  from  some  older  poet. 
Similar  songs  of  praise  are  found  in  the  New  Testament  ;  the 
anthem  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  for  instance,  (Luke  1  :  46-55,) 
and  that  of  Zacharias,  (Luke  1 :  68-79,)  which,  according  to 
Schleiermacher,  are  to  be  regarded  as  hymns,  that  existed  in 
the  time  of  the  Evangelist,  and  were  thus  incorporated  by  him 
into  his  historical  narrative. 

It  is  not  so  clear  that  Muenter  is  right,  in  taking  certain 
passages  of  the  Apocalypse,  (such  as  the  new  song  of  the 
Lamb,  c.  5:  9-13;  the  heavenly  act  of  praise,  c.  11 :  15-19; 
the  song  of  Moses,  c.  15 :  3,  4,)  to  be  fragments  of  ancient 
hymns.  For,  since  the  book  bears  throughout  the  character 
of  lofty  poetical  inspiration,  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any 
sufficient  reason  for  singling  out  from  it  in  this  way,  particu- 
lar parts  as  poetical  quotations,  -ryherp  the  rythmical  form  may 
be  owing  simply  to  the  nature  of  the  subject.  There  is  better 
reason  for  admitting  the  supposition  of  such  a  fragment  in  the 
words  used  by  St.  Paul,  Eph.  5 :  14  : 

"Awake,  tliou  that  sleepest, 

And  arise  from  the  dead  ; 

And  Christ  shall  give  thee  light  I" 

because  the  passage  is  introduced  by  the  clause,  "  Wherefore 
he  saith,"  implying  a  distinct  citation,  which,  however,  is  not 
to  be  found  in  the  Old  Testament.  Two  other  passages,  1  Tim. 
3:  16,  and  2  Tim.  2:  11,  have  been  represented  also  to  be  such 
fragments  ;  but  the  most  we  can  say  of  them  is,  that  they  may 
be,  not  that  they  must  be,  of  this  character. 

Holding  ourselves  to  the  exj^ress  voice  of  history,  our  atten- 
tion is  carried  first  to  the  Syrian  Church,  which,  so  far  as  our 
knowledge  of  Christian  antiquity  goes,  had  its  first  hymnolo- 
gists  in  Bardesanes  and  his  son,  Harmonius,  who  belong  to  the 
last  half  of  the  second  century ;  whilst  of  the  Greek  hymnolo- 
gists  of  the  first  and  second  centuries,  (with  the  single  excep- 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  551 

tion  of  Athenogcncs,  whom  r)asil  the  Great  mentions  as  the 
autlior  of  a  doxolopry,)  we  know  not  even  the  names,  to  say 
notliing  of  their  songs. 

From  sucli  dearth  of  information,  it  might  seem  natm-al  to 
infer  a  dearth  of  authors.  In  the  opinion  of  Muenter,  how- 
ever, we  liavo  no  ri9;]it  to  come  to  any  such  conclusion.  Rath- 
er we  have  no  reasen  to  he  surprised,  he  thinks,  that  we  shouhi 
know  next  to  notliing  of  the  h3'mnologists,  which  may  he  sup- 
posed to  have  belonged  to  tliis  early  period ;  because,  in  the 
first  place,  our  nonces  of  the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian 
Church,  in  general,  are  very  meagre  and  fragmentary  ;  and 
then,  again,  we  know  that  in  the  Pagan  persecutions  one  thing 
especially  aimed  at,  was  to  destroy  the  ecclesiastical  books,  to 
which  belonged,  of  course,  any  collections  which  might  have 
been  made  of  hymns.  Augusti  refers  besides  to  the  dlscipli- 
na  arcani,  which  must  have  made  it  an  object  with  Christians 
carefully  to  keep  secret  such  hymns  as  had  for  their  theme  the 
Trinity,  or  the  Divine  Majesty  of  Christ ;  whilst  he  reminds 
us,  at  the  same  time,  that  there  was  in  the  ancient  Church  a 
difference  of  opinion,  with  regard  to  the  lawfulness  of  using  for 
Church  purposes,  any  compositions  of  this  sort,  not  taken  di- 
rectly from  the  sacred  Scriptures. 

How  precarious  all  such  reasonings  are,  hardly  needs  to  be 
shown;  and  one  who  should  choose  to  dispute  the  existence  of 
church  hymns  in  the  Greek  Church  of  the  first  two  centuries, 
would  not  be  likely  to  alter  his  mind  from  having  it  explained 
ever  so  clearly,  how  and  why  they  7n{glit  have  perished  so  as  to 
leave  for  us  no  trace  of  their  use.  So  much  is  certain,  that  the 
great  body  of  Christians,  in  tlie  earliest  times,  belonged  to  the 
ruder  class  of  people,  and  that  such  church  hymns  as  are  here 
in  consideration,  regarded  at  least  as  the  property  of  the  laity, 
cannot  well  be  thought  of  as  in  use,  till  such  a  measure  of 
cultivation  had  come  to  prevail,  on  the  part  of  the  people,  as 
would  create  for  them  some  proper  need  and  demand.  AVhilst 
then,  there  may  have  been  occasional  effusions  of  Christian 
devotion  here  and  there,  in  the  form  of  original  song,  the  wor- 
ship of  these  first  times  confined  itself  in  the  main,  no  doubt, 
to  the  psalms  ;  which  were  regarded  as  songs  given  by  God, 


552  Christian  Hymnology,  [October, 

and  the  use  of  which  was  the  more  easy  and  welcome,  as  al- 
most every  one  of  them  was  found  to  include  a  reference  to 
Christ. 

Just  this,  however,  served  to  put  the  heretics  out  of  humor 
with  the  psalms  ;  and  as  it  did  not  seem  expedient  to  question 
the  correctness  and  necessity  of  such  interpretation  in  which 
Jews  and  Christians  agreed,  both  referring  the  psalms  to  the 
Messiah,  with  only  the  difference  that  the  latter  saw  already 
fulfilled  in  Christ  those  representations  which  the  former  ap- 
plied to  a  Messiah  who  was  expected  still  to  come,  it  became 
naturally  enough  an  interest  with  the  antichristian  tendency 
in  question,  to  have  the  biblical  psalms  superseded  by  others 
that  might  better  comport  with  its  own  doctrinal  views. 

When  Ephraim,  the  Syrian,  tells  us,  therefore,  of  the  al- 
ready mentioned  Gnostic  philosopher,  Bardesanes,  (about  a. 
172,)  that  in  imitation  of  David  he  had  composed  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  psalms,  we  ma}^  infer  that  it  was  his  purpose,  not 
just  to  bring  in  some  new  hymns,  but  to  furnish  the  Church  in 
form  with  another  Psalter  altogether,  which  it  was  hoped  might 
take  the  place  of  that  previously  in  use.  Such  as  adhered  to 
the  true  doctrine  of  the  Church,  however,  could  not  be  pleased 
with  the  pretended  improvement.  The  new  psalms  abounded 
with  Gnostic  dreams  and  fancies  ;  and  it  was  plain  enough,  that 
by  coming  into  popular  use  they  were  in  danger  of  becoming  a 
vehicle  of  wide-spread  ruinous  error. 

Still  they  struck  a  chord  in  the  common  mind,  from  which 
they  seem  to  have  met  a  welcome  response.  They  suited  a  want 
of  the  time,  and  fell  in  with  the  popular  feeling  and  taste. 
Hence  they  were  not  to  be  set  aside  by  mere  authority  ;  nor 
would  it  answer  now  to  fall  back  simply  on  the  psalms  of  Da- 
vid. For,  not  to  speak  of  the  advantage  the  new  hymns  had 
over  the  Jewish  psalmody  in  point  of  well  sounding  melody 
and  rhythm,  they  had  already  begun  to  diffuse  the  poison  of 
various  false  sentiments,  which  needed  to  be  counteracted  in  a 
more  direct  way.  Ephraim  saw  all  this  ;  and  courageously  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  task  of  meeting  the  evil  in  the  only 
manner  in  which  it  could  be  done  with  full  success.  Deing 
possessed  of  poetical  talent  himself,  he  undertook  to  compose 


1850.]  Christian  Bijmnohivj.  553 

orthodox  hymns  of  his  own,  in  opposition  to  those  of  Barde- 
sanes  an(I  ITarmonius;  and  so  well  did  he  succeed,  that  not 
only  the  heretical  hynms  at  that  time  fell  into  disuse  and  ob- 
livion, but  his  own  came  into  such  enduring  credit  that  they 
continue  to  be  used  in  the  East  even  down  to  the  present  day. 
Many  of  them  are  alternative  songs,  and  some  almost  dramat- 
ic dialogues,  as  for  instance  the  song  in  parts  between  the  Vir- 
gin Mary  and  the  Wise  Men  at  the  birth  of  Christ.  As  regards 
number,  the  Syrians  ascribe  to  him  12,000  hymns,  the  Copts 
as  many  as  14,000,  with  the  express  remark,  at  the  same  time, 
that  this  is  to  be  understood,  not  of  single  verses,  but  of  whole 
songs  consisting  of  several  stanzas.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  he  stands  as  the  general  representative  of  the 
whole  Syrian  hvmnolo<;'v,  and  that  many  hvmns  from  less  dis- 
tinguished  later  authors  have  thus  been  attributed  to  his  name. 

A  similar  influence  of  the  heretics  in  the  ecclesiastical  hymn- 
ology,  appears  to  have  had  place  also  in  the  Greek  Church. 
Euscbius,  in  his  Church  History,  quotes  an  older  writer  against 
Artemon,  who  denied  the  divinity  of  Christ,  as  appealing  to 
"  many  psalms  and  odes,  written  of  old  by  believing  brethren, 
in  which  Christ  is  extolled  as  the  Divine  Logos."  Origen  ex- 
presses himself  to  like  efiect,  when  he  says  to  the  heathen 
philosopher,  Cclsus,  among  other  things  :  "We  celebrate  with 
hymns  God  and  his  Only  Begotten  Son,  as  do  also  the  sun, 
moon  and  stars,  and  all  the  heavenly  host ;  for  all  these,  as  a 
divine  choir,  join  with  just  men  in  singing  the  praises  of  God 
over  all  and  his  blessed  Son." 

Whether  such  hymns  proceeded,  in  the  first  place,  from  polem- 
ical interest,  or  were  the  free  efl'usions  of  faith  in  Christ,  cannot 
now  be  certainly  known.  But  it  is  clear  enough,  at  all  events, 
that  they  were  in  use  before  the  middle  of  the  third  century  ; 
and  we  need  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  to  find  Paul  of  Samo- 
sata,  a  decided  opposer  of  all  the  later  hymnological  produc- 
tions. The  more  directly  and  plainly  they  gave  utterance  to 
the  true  Church  faith  in  regard  to  the  Trinity  and  the  Divini- 
ty of  Christ,  the  less  agreeable  were  the}'',  of  course,  to  his 
heretically  disposed  mind.  As  a  bishop,  however,  he  could 
not  declare  openly  the  real  ground  of  his  dissatisfaction  ;  and 


554  Christian  Eymnology.  [October, 

so  he  was  fain  to  cover  it  over  with  a  show  of  zeal  for  David's 
Psalms.  These  the  Church  had  all  along  held  to  be  of  Divine 
inspiration,  and  could  not,  therefore,  reasonably  find  fault  with 
him  for  giving  them  the  preference  over  the  hymns  in  ques- 
tion, which  were  after  all  the  product  of  only  human  art.  To 
his  own  mind,  at  the  same  time,  the  Psalms  seemed  to  be  in  a 
great  measure  free  from  all  that  he  found  offensive  in  the  reign- 
ing Church  faith,  as  distinctly  enunciated  in  the  orthodox 
hymns.  These  proved  not  less  offensive  in  a  somewhat  later 
period  to  the  heretic  Arius  ;  and  he,  accordingly,  more  bold 
than  Paul  of  Samosata,  was  not  contented  with  trying  to  set 
them  aside  by  insisting  on  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Psalter,  but 
believed  himself  called  to  make  a  better  provision  for  the  reli- 
gious wants  of  the  people  by  hymns  of  his  own  composition. 
And  as  it  was  the  general  character  of  Arianism,  by  rejecting 
all  that  was  mysterious,  to  bring  Christianity  as  near  as  possi- 
ble to  the  practical  understanding  of  men,  and  to  lay  stress  on 
its  moral  virtues  more  than  upon  its  incomprehensible  dogmas, 
the  hymns  of  Arius  seem  also  to  have  been  mainly  of  this 
turn,  referring  to  practical  rather  than  doctrinal  themes  ;  so 
that  even  zealous  opponents  of  the  man  were  constrained,  not 
only  to  acknowledge  his  own  strict  personal  morality,  but  to 
allow  also,  that,  by  his  hymns  for  travelers,  sailors,  &c.,  he  had 
exerted  a  salutary  moral  influence  likewise  upon  others.  Sup- 
posing the  orthodox  hymns  of  the  time  to  have  been  combina- 
tions simply  of  doxological  and  dogmatical  formulas,  as  was 
probably  the  case,  it  is  easy  enough  to  understand  how,  in 
comparison  with  them,  the  popular  practical  songs  of  the 
Arians,  might,  for  a  time,  meet  with  more  favor  from  the  com- 
mon world.  These  were  out  and  out  intelligible,  while  the 
Church  hymns,  by  their  prevailing  doctrinal  character,  appear- 
ed to  be  both  obscure  and  less  suited  for  the  purposes  of  edifi- 
cation. With  this  was  joined  the  great  pains  which  the  Arians 
took  with  their  public  worship,  contriving  especially  by  the 
singing  of  their  hymns,  to  render  it  very  solemn  and  impressive; 
for  they  held  their  processions,  we  are  told,  in  the  deep  silence 
of  the  night,  by  the  light  of  torches,  with  sounding  chants  and 
antiphons — which  had  the  effect  of  drawing  to  them  crowds 
of  people. 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  555 

Whether  with  reference  or  not  to  such  heretical  hymns,  we 
find  the  Council  of  Laodicca,  in  its  o9th  canon,  decreeing, 
^'that  thenceforward  no  private  psalms,  {(l'(A).fwc  'wcconxu:,)  and 
no  uncanonical  books  should  be  used,  but  only  the  canonical 
books,  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament." 

That  these  "  private  psalms  "  stand  immediately  opposed  to 
the  psalms  of  David,  is  clear  enough.  Still  it  is  a  question, 
whether  the  prohibition  is  to  be  regarded  as  extending  at  once 
to  all  hymns  without  exception  which  were  not  taken  from  the 
Scriptures,  or  only  to  such  as  were  held  to  be  doctrinally  un- 
sound, like  the  Psalter,  for  instance,  of  the  Apollinarists.  In 
the  first  case,  the  Council  would  have  declared  itself  against  all 
that  had  been  done  in  the  way  of  such  composition  after  the 
time  of  the  Apostles ;  in  the  last  case,  it  must  be  understood 
as  condemning  only  the  works  of  those  hymnologists,  who,  as 
private  persons,  held  no  charge  in  the  Church,  and  so  were 
not  to  be  trusted  as  caring  properly  for  the  purity  of  doctrine, 
without  meaning  at  all  to  reject  the  hymns  of  orthodox  teach- 
ers; and  this  second  view  seems  to  be  the  one  which  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  accept  in  fact,  as  the  true  sense  of  the  canon. 
Gregory  of  Kazianzum,  at  least,  did  not  allow  himself  to  be  re- 
strained by  the  Laodicensian  decree,  from  composing  ecclesi- 
astical hymns  ;  neither  did  his  contemporary  Synesius,  Bish- 
op of  Ptolemais,  (about  a.  400 ;)  and  Chrysostom  of  the  same 
period  thought  he  could  perform  for  the  Church  no  better  work, 
than  when  he  sought  to  outdo  the  Arians,  if  possible,  by  bring- 
ing out  more  excellent  hymns  than  theirs,  in  the  service  of  the 
right  faith.  It  might  be  said,  indeed,  that  as  the  Council  of 
Laodicca  was  only  a  Provincial  Synod,  these  bishops  paid  no 
regard  to  its  prohibition,  as  being  of  no  universal  or  permanent 
force.  But  the  Council  of  Chalccdon,  (a.  451,)  it  must  be  re- 
membered, sanctioned  and  confirmed  the  proceedings  of  this 
very  Synod,  making  them  to  be  thus  of  general  authority. 
When  we  find  the  Church  then,  notwithstanding,  making  use 
of  new  hymns  afterwards,  along  with  the  Psalter,  it  shows 
clearly  enough  that  the  prohibition  in  question  was  considered 
as  referring  only  to  heretical  productions. 

True,  neither  the  hymns  of  Gregory,  nor  those  of  Synesius, 


556  Christian  Hymnologij.  [October, 

have  remained  a  permanent  property  to  the  Greek  Church, 
and  their  use  was  not  perhaps  at  any  time  altogether  general. 
But  this  is  to  be  ascribed,  not  so  much  to  any  prejudice  against 
their  novelty,  as  to  their  peculiar  form  and  the  altered  cir- 
cumstances of  the  Church  in  subsequent  times.  It  has  often 
been  asked,  how  it  comes,  that  the  Greek  Church,  which  glo- 
ries so  much  in  the  high  antiquity  of  its  Liturgy,  and  has  shown 
itself  so  true  to  the  ancient  forms  in  general,  should,  neverthe- 
less, in  the  matter  of  hymnology,  have  given  preference  to  the 
later  poets  of  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries,  over  those  of  the 
fourth — more  especially  as  the  advantage  of  poetical  merit  is 
unquestionably  on  the  side  of  these  last.  Let  the  following 
serve  for  answer.  Gregory  of  Nazianzum,  was  in  truth  not 
only  a  deservedly  celebrated  theologian,  but  so  distinguished  a 
poet  also,  that  philologists,  like  Grotius  and  Valkenaer,  have 
not  hesitated  to  place  him  beside  the  best  among  the  classics. 
But,  of  his  many  poems,  a  few  only  were  properly  church  hymns; 
and  even  these  were  too  much  cast  into  the  peculiar  mould  of 
the  author's  cultivated  and  scientific  thinking,  to  be  adapted 
for  common  popular  use.  Still  more  was  this  the  case  with 
the  hymns  of  Synesius,  of  which  we  have  ten  still  extant. 
With  their  palpable  imitation  of  the  Pagan  forms  of  poetry, 
and  their  characteristic  vein  of  philosophical  and  theological 
speculation,  they  might  pass  indeed  as  respectable  samples  of 
the  Alexandrian  taste  in  their  day  ;  but  they  lacked  popular 
simplicity  too  far,  to  be  fitted  for  the  edification  of  plain  per- 
sons. This  of  itself,  would  account  for  their  not  coming  into 
much  use  in  the  Church.  Another  circumstance,  however,  of 
no  less  weight,  made  itself  felt  in  the  case.  In  the  time  of 
these  writers,  when  Arianism  prevailed,  the  controversies  con- 
cerning the  Trinity  and  the  Divine  nature  of  Christ,  and  so 
also  such  hymns  as  referred  to  them  in  a  strong  and  marked 
manner,  were  of  general  interest.  Afterwards,  these  questions 
having  come  to  a  close  by  the  full  triumph  of  orthodoxy,  at- 
tention was  drawn  more  to  other  points.  It  was  disputed  con- 
cerning the  veneration  of  the  "Mother  of  God"  and  the 
Saints ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  mind  of  the  Church  went  in 
favor  of  this,    there  was   a  disposition  to  welcome  hymns   of 


1856.]  Christian  Ilymnohgy,  557 

which  tlioy  were  mailc  the  subject  and  theme.  These  seemed 
indeed  to  be  "what  was  now  mainly  needed,  inasmucli  as  the 
new  heretics  attacked  not  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  person,  hut 
the  honor  wliieh  was  hehl  to  be  due  to  the  Virgin  and  Saints. 
The  want  began  to  make  itself  felt  especially  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury; from  which  time,  accordingly,  we  find  a  series  of  hymn- 
ologists,  who  labored  for  its  satisfaction.  Of  those,  the  prin- 
cipal were,  Cosmas,  Bishop  of  Majuma,  (730,)  Andreas,  l^ishop 
of  Crete,  (724,)  Germanus,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  (740,) 
John  Demascenus,  (750,)  Theophanes,  Metropolitan  of  Kice, 
(854,)  and  Joseph,  Deacon  at  Constantinople,  (880,)  who  was 
the  author  of  forty  hymns  to  the  Virgin. 

They  furnish  what  the  Church  wanted,  a  rich  number  of 
compositions  devoted  to  Mary,  or  in  honor  of  the  Saints,  suit- 
able to  the  numerous  festivals  of  the  year;  and  for  this  ser- 
vice, they  were  not  only  praised  as  "sacred  singers"  by  their 
grateful  cotemporaries,  and  compared  to  the  "tuneful  cicada" 
or  the  "  musical  nightingale,"  but  have  secured  for  themselves 
besides  also  an  abiding  reputation  with  posterity. 

Over  against  these  Oriental  hymns,  those  of  the  Western  or 
Latin  Church,  arc  distinguished  for  a  beauty  and  dignity  pecu- 
liarly their  own,  however  little  claim  they  may  have  to  the 
character  of  poetry  in  its  more  finished  forms.  The  philolo- 
gist who  has  been  accustomed  to  classical  elegance  is  often 
ready  to  smile,  on  reading  the  first  verses,  at  their  barbarisms 
and  awkwardness  of  expression  ;  but  as  he  proceeds  farther, 
his  features  become  more  earnest,  and  almost  involuntarily  he 
finds  himself  disposed  to  devotion.  Hundreds  of  skilful  poets 
have  tried  to  translate  them,  and  have  employed  all  the  charms 
of  diction  and  rhythm  to  give  the  seemingly  artless  and  simple 
monkish  rhymes  in  modern  version.  13ut  all  their  artistic 
efforts  in  this  way  have  failed  entirely  to  come  up  to  the  eficct, 
which  the  originals  have  produced  for  centuries,  wherever  read 
and  understood.  And  what  is  it  that  arrests  us  here  with  so 
much  power?  "  Simplicity  and  truth,"  replies  Herder,  right- 
l3^  "  Here  sounds  the  language  of  an  universal  confession,  of 
one  heart  and  faith.  Most  of  them  are  so  constructed  as  to 
answer  for  sin^in^r  at  all  times,  or  are  fixed  to  rc'^ilar  festi- 


558  Christian  Hymnology.  [October, 

vals  and  return  ^viili   these  continually  in  the  circuit  of  the 
year.     They  never  confine  themselves  exclusively  to  a  partic- 
ular feeling  only  or  thought  ;   every\Nhere  rather  they  offer  us 
the  language  of  Christian  devotion  in  grand  accents." 
Take  for  instance  the  wellkno^n  morning  hymn  : 

Jam  lucis  orto  sidere 
Deum  precamur  supplices, 
^  Ut  in  diurnis  actibus 

Nos  servet  a  nocentibus  ; 
Linguam  refraenans  temperet, 
Ne  litis  horror  insonet ; 
Visum  fovendo  contegat, 
Ne  vanitates  liauriat ; 
Sint  pura  cordis  intima, 
Absistet  et  vecordia; 
Carnis  terat  superbiam 
Potiis  cibique  parcitas ; 
Ut,  quum  dies  abscesserit 
Noctemque  sors  reduxerit, 
Mundi  per  abstinentiam 
Ipsi  canamus  gloriam. 
Deo  patri  sit  gloria, 
Ejusque  soli  filio, 
Cum  spiritu  paraclito, 
Nunc  et  per  omne  saeculum,     Amen. 

How  simple  and  general  the  thoughts  !  It  is  a  hymn  for  all 
ages  and  conditions  of  life,  and  for  every  day  alike.  It  has 
never  been  new  ;  and  just  for  this  reason  it  can  never  grow 
old. 

This  character  of  broad  proportioned  generality  meets  us  at 
once  in  the  compositions  of  Hilary  of  Poictiers,  the  oldest 
Latin  hymnologist,  (f  368  ;)  for  whom  also,  in  all  probability, 
the  thought  of  using  his  talent  in  this  way  was  suggested  by 
the  Arian  hymns,  with  which  he  had  become  acquainted  in 
Phrygia,  during  his  banishment  there,  for  holding  the  true 
faith.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  most  of  the  hymns  which  have 
come  down  to  us  under  his  name,  are  rejected  by  modern  crit- 
icism as  spurious.  Against  the  genuineness,  however,  of  the 
morning  hymn  :  ^' Lucis  largitor  sijlendide^''  no  reasonable 
doubt  can  be  urged  ;  and  this  of  itself  is  sufficient  to  prove, 
that  what  has  now  been  said  of  the  Latin  hymnology  in  gen- 
eral, applies  in  full  force  also  to  his  productions. 


"1856.]  Ch  rial  Ian  Ilymnology,  559 

Better  known  to  us,  through  his  sacred  poetry,  is  the  cele- 
brated Ambrose,  of  jMihm;  who,  in  like  manner,  as  he  tells  us 
himself,  "wrote  hymns  in  honor  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  in  order 
to  defend  the  Catholic  faith  against  the  false  doctrine  of  the 
Arians.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  here 
also  between  the  genuine  and  the  spurious.  Even  in  tlic  ninth 
century,  AValafrid  Strabo  had  to  complain,  that  many  worthless 
compositions  had  been  attributed  to  Ambrose  to  give  them 
credit;  and  while,  in  the  older  editions  of  his  works,  and  in  the 
Breviaries,  over  thirty  hymns  are  assigned  to  him,  his  Bene- 
dictine critics  felt  themselves  bound  to  acknowledge  as  genu- 
ine not  more  than  twelve.  Among  these,  the  first  place  be- 
longs to  the  following  :  ''^  Aeterne  rerum  conditor  ;''  ^^  Deus 
creator  omnium;''  '' Splendor  pateruDC  gloricc  ;"  ^^  0  lux, 
beata  Triuitas ;''  "  Veni  redemj^tor  gentium,"  One  of  the 
rejected  hymns  is  the  magnificent  Te  Dcum,  the  so  called 
Ambrosian  chant,  which  he  is  reported  to  have  composed  for 
the  baptism  of  Augustine.  As  the  first  ascription  we  have  of 
it  to  Ambrose,  is  in  a  writer  of  the  eleventh  century,  while  his 
biographer,  Paulinus  of  Milan,  and  others  belonging  to  the 
same  age,  say  nothing  on  the  subject,  it  seems  more  reasona- 
ble, with  Usher,  to  hold  Nicetus,  Bishop  of  Treves,  (535,)  for 
its  author. 

Prudentius,  the  cotemporary  of  Ambrose,  was  likewise  a  dis- 
tinguished hymnologist ;  besides  being  the  author  of  different 
larger  poems,  of  a  theological  and  philosophical  character. 
Of  his  proper  church  canticles,  particular  mention  is  due  to 
the  lovely  hymn  for  the  Festival  of  the  Innocents :  *'  Salvete 
flores  Martyrum,''  and  to  the  funeral  song  :  Jam  moesta  quiesce 
querela. 

From  the  poetical  compositions  of  Sedulius,  (about  450,)  the 
Church  has  borrowed  only  the  two  Christmas  hymns:  "yl  solis 
ortus  cardine,"  and  "  Iloatis  Ilerodes  impie." 

Not  less  beautiful  are  the  hymns  of  Fortunatus,  (600;)  par- 
ticularly the  two  celebrated  Passion  hymns  :  **  Pange  lingua, 
gloriosi  jyyctium  ee7'tajninis,"  and  "  Vexilla  regis  jn'odeunt.'* 

Gregory  the  Great  also  (f  GO-t)  rendered  good  service  to  the 
Church  in  this  department.     His  hymn   for  Thursday  before 


'560  CJinstian  Symnology.  [October, 

Easter:  '^  Rex  Christe^  factor  omnium^''  was  pronounced  bv 
Luther,  the  best  of  all  hymns;  more,  hov/ever,  ^Yith  reference 
to  its  genuine  evangelical  sentiment,  probably,  than  to  its  po- 
etical form. 

Among  the  hymnoiogists  of  the  eighth  century,  may  be 
named  particularly  the  pious  and  learned  Bede,  (t  735  ;)  of 
whose  eleven  hymns,  one  on  the  Ascension,  has  continued  in 
Church  use. 

To  the  age  of  Charles  the  Great,  belongs  Paul  the  Deacon, 
(t  709,)  the  author,  among  other  pieces,  of  a  festival  hymn  for 
John  the  Baptist,  commencing  with  the  stanza  ; 

'*  Ut  queant  laxis 
Eesonare  fibris 
Mira  gestorum 
Famuli  tuorum^ 
Solve  jiolluii 
Labiireatum^ 

Sancte  Joannes .'" 

from  which,  Guido  of  Arezzo,  is  known  to  have  borrowed  the 
first  syllables,  Ut,  Be,  Mi,  Fa,  Sol,  La,  as  names  for  tones 
or  notes  in  music,  the  use  of  which,  in  some  countries,  contin- 
ues to  the  present  day. 

To  the  same  age,  probably,  is  to  be  assigned  also  the  hymn 
for  Pentecost,  improperly  attributed  to  Ambrose  :  *'  Veni 
creator  Spiritus. ' ' 

Especially  deserving  of  notice  in  the  period  of  the  tenth  and 
eleventh  centuries,  is  Robert,  King  of  France,  (997-1031,) 
famous  both  as  a  poet  and  a  componist,  and  the  author,  ac- 
cording to  Durandus,  of  the  exquisitely  beautiful  Pentecostal 
hymn  :  "  Veni  Sancte  Spiritus." 

To  this  period  belongs  also  the  antiphon  :  ''  3Iedia  vita  in 
morte  sumus,''  (In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death,  &c. ;)  the 
original  of  Luther's  "Komm  hei'lger  Geist,  Herre  Gott," 
"  Veni  Sancte  Spiritus,  Ilejjie  tuorum  corda  Jidelium,"  kc. ; 
and  the  celebrated  address  to  the  Virgin  :  "  Salve  Regina, 
mater  misericordive." 

From  the  twelfth  century,  we  have  the  justly  prized  compo- 
sitions of  the  pious  Peter  Damiani,  and  those  also  of  the  ge- 
nial and  glowing  Bernard  of  Clairvaux.     It  is  interesting  to 


1856.]  Christian  HymnoJogy.  o61 

compare  with  Paul  Gerhanl's   "  0  Ilaiipt  voll  Blut  nnd  Wun- 
den,"  the  hymn  of  this  last  *'  Ad  faciera  Jcsu,"  beginning  : 

"  Salve  caput  cruentatum, 
Totum  spinis  coronatum 
Coiiquassaium,  vulneraium, 
Arundine  vcrbiratum, 
Facie  fjnttis  ilUta.^^ 

The  great  scholastic  doctor,  Thomas  Aquinas,  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  (tl274,)  is  the  author  of  the  hymn  for  high 
mass:  ''^  Pange  lingua  gloriosi  Coiyoris  mysterium,  kc.  ;  also 
of  the  longer  production:  ^' Lauda  Sion  salvatorem,"  devo- 
ted in  like  manner  to  the  awful  sacrament  of  the  altar. 

To  the  thirteenth  century  also  belongs  what  has  been  wcU 
denominated  the  "gigantic  hymn,"  once  ascribed  by  some  to 
Gregory  the  Great,  or  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  but  composed  in 
reality  by  the  Minorite  friar,  Thomas  of  Celano,  the  world- 
renowned :  ^'  Dies  irve,  dies  ilia  Solvet  saeclum  infavilla,''  &c. 

To  another  Franciscan  monk,  Giacomo  Bcnedetti,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century,  we  are  indebted  for  the 
beautiful:  ^^ Stabat  mater  dolorosa  Jiixta  crucem  lacrimosa^ 
Dum  pendehat  filius,"  ko.  No  one  can  say  how  many  trans- 
lations of  this  hymn,  and  of  the  Dies  irae,  have  been  made 
into  the  modern  Christian  tongues.  It  is  acknowledged,  how- 
ever, on  all  hands,  that  no  one  of  them  has  ever  succeeded  in 
doing  anything  like  full  justice  to  either  of  the  originals. 

Excellent,  however,  as  tlicse  and  other  hymns  in  the  Catho- 
lic Breviaries  might  be,  of  what  account  were  they  for  the 
mass  of  the  people,  unacquainted,  as  they  were  of  course,  with 
the  Latin  tongue  ?  "We  find  this  a  subject  of  complaint,  more 
particularly  among  the  Germans,  as  far  Ij^ck  as  the  ninth  cen- 
tury. We  need  not  be  surprised,  then,  that  efforts  were  made 
in  certain  quarters  to  form  and  bring  into  use  hymns  in  the 
vernacular  dialects.  Quite  early,  as  we  may  learn  from  Jacob 
Grimm  and  Wackernagel,  a  number  of  such  compositions  made 
their  appearance  in  Germany.  In  the  course  of  time,  these 
were  followed  by  others ;  so  that  altogether  this  country  was 
by  no  means  so  destitute  of  popular  religious  songs,  in  the  pe- 
riod before   the  Beformation,  as  many   might  be  disposed  to 


562  Chrhtian  Hymnology.  [October, 

imagine.     We   may  distribute  them   into  the  four  following 
classes  or  kinds : 

I.  Vet'sions  and  reproductions  of  the  old  Latin  hymns. 
Among  those  who  did  good  service  by  such  translations,  may 
be  mentioned  in  particular  John,  *•  the  monk  of  Salzburg," 
(toward  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century  ;)  by  whom  as  many 
as  eleven  hymns  were  reproduced  in  this  way.  A  certain 
brother  Dietrich,  after  him,  translated  three  ;  and  subsequent- 
ly others  also  lent  their  hand  to  the  same  work,  to  whom  it 
may  be  sufficient  merely  to  refer  in  this  general  way. 

II.  Mixed,  songs^  half  Latin  and  half  G-erman.  These 
prevailed  especially  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries. 
One  of  the  best  known  specimens,  is  the  Christmas  hymn,  as- 
cribed to  Peter  Faulfisch,  (f  1440,)  commencing  with  the  verse: 

"  hi  dulci  juhilo 

Nu  singet  und  seidfrok^ 

Alter  wiser  Wonne 

lAegt  in  proesepio  ; 

Sic  leuchtet  vor  die  Sonne 

Matris  in  gremio. 

Qui  est  A  et  0. " 

It  was  once  pretended  that  this  Peter  Faulfisch,  (otherwise  Pe- 
ter of  Dresden,)  being  the  first  who  proposed  to  introduce  German 
hymns  into  church  use,  was  only  allowed  after  much  entreaty, 
as  a  particular  favor  from  the  Pope,  to  bring  in  such  as  might 
be  mixed  with  the  Latin  in  this  way ;  and  that  he  set  himself 
accordingly  to  the  task  of  composing  the  one  just  mentioned, 
and  a  number  of  others  in  similar  style,  for  that  purpose.  But 
better  inquiry  has  shown  the  whole  representation  to  be  false. 
For,  in  the  first  place,  this  very  hymn,  ^'  In  dulci  juhilo,''  has 
been  proved  much  older  than  the  time  of  Peter  of  Dresden, 
being  plainly  referred  to  and  named  in  a  manuscript  of  the 
previous  century ;  whilst  the  origin  of  mixed  poetry  itself  lies 
as  far  back  as  the  tenth.  The  thirteenth  century  in  particu- 
lar was  rich  in  compositions  of  this  fantastic  style,  both  comic 
and  serious.  Neither  is  it  difficult  at  all  to  account  for  them. 
They  grew  naturally  enough  out  of  the  position  of  the  writers, 
who  as  men  of  education  found  themselves,  on  the  one  hand, 
familiar  with  the  Latin  and  more  or  less  helpless  in  the  use  of 


1856.]  Christian  JTijmnologif.  5(>'3 

the  common  tongue,  while,  on  the  other  hiind,  they  sought  to 
make  their  Latin  intelligible  to  the  people  by  joining  with  it 
words  and  phrases  from  the  vernacular  as  a  sort  of  running 
key  to  its  hidden  sense.  Such  poetry  was  common  in  France 
and  England,  as  well  as  Germany.  It  sounds  strangely  ludi- 
crous now  ;  and  we  arc  apt  to  think  of  it  only  as  a  species  of 
childish  and  wilful  buffoonery.  But  every  such  phenomenon 
needs  to  be  judged  from  the  platform  of  its  own  age  and  time. 
Considered  in  this  way,  as  the  product  of  what  we  may  call 
the  transition  period  of  the  middle  ages,  this  mongrel  versifi- 
cation is  not  without  its  claims  to  respect. 

III.  Original  German  hymns.  Some  such  there  were, 
which  were  actually  sung  by  the  people,  though  it  might  be 
only  on  great  occasions,  such  as  high  festivals,  processions, 
pilgrimages,  kc.  Among  thcra  may  be  quoted  as  one  of  the 
oldest,  the  popular  favorite  : 

Nu  bitten  U'ir  den  TirUgen   Geist 

Vmbe  den  rechten  Glauhen  allermtist, 

Dass  er  uns  behuete  an  unserm  Ende, 

So  wir  heim  sulnfahrn  aus  dicsem  Elcnde.     Kyrieleison.''' 

To  this  class  belong  also  the  old  Easter  song :  "  Christ  ist 
erstanden ;''  the  Christian's  song:  Gelohet  seist  du,  Jesus 
Christ ;"  the  Pilgrim  song  :  "  Li  Crottes  Namen  fahren  ivir  ;' 
the  Pentecostal  verse:  "  Christ fuhre  zu  Himmel  f  together 
with  the  hymns  to  the  Virgin  :  "  Ave  Maria^  ein  Ros  ohn  alh 
Dorn,''  '''Ave  Blorgensterne,  erleucht  uns  mildiglicht,''  *'  Bich 
Frau  vom  llimmel  ruf  ich  an,''  and  others. 

IV.  Accommodations  of  the  popular  secular  soyigs.  These, 
however,  belong  more  to  the  period  of  the  Reformation  itself, 
than  to  the  time  going  before.  An  interesting  example  of 
this  species  of  composition  is  found  in  the  spiritual  variations 
of  the  familiar  drinking  song  : 

•■^  Den  licbsten  Jiuhlcn,  den  ich  hany 
JJer  liegt  beim  Wirth  in  keller, 
Er  hat  ein  hoelzern  Roecklcin  an 
Und  heisst  der  3Iuscatcllcr,*^  &c. 

In  one  of  these  new  versions,  the  theme  is  made  to  be  Christ  : 
''^  Den  liehsten  Ilcrren  den  ich  han,*'  kc  ;  in  another  we  have 


SG4  Christian  Hymnohgy,  [October, 

the  "  Muscateller  "  boldly  transformed  into  the  Yirgin  Mary: 

**  Den  liebsten  Buhl  en,  den  ich  han, 
Der  ist  in  des  llimmeVs  Throne, 
Maria  heissct  sie  gar  schon,''^  &c. 

Altogether,  however,  the  hymns  here  spoken  of  did  not 
amount  to  very  much  for  the  people.  In  the  ordinary  church 
services,  use  was  still  made  exclusively  of  the  established  Lat- 
in chants  ;  only  on  some  special  occasions,  as  before  remarked, 
the  people  were  allowed  to  bring  forward,  not  the  vernacular 
versions  of  these,  nor  hymns  of  the  mixed  order,  or  of  the  sort 
last  mentioned,  but  their  old  native  rhymes,  short  and  quaint, 
formed  originally  for  such  use.  Processions  and  pilgrimages, 
in  which  a  number  of  persons,  with  some  religious  object  in 
view,  moved  together  from  one  place  to  another,  gave  oppor- 
tunity especially  for  such  popular  singing.  We  read  of  com- 
panies of  persons  in  this  way,  during  the  middle  ages,  passing 
from  country  to  country,  or  from  town  to  town,  on  foot,  with 
strange  dress  and  staff  in  hand,  to  visit  particular  churches  or 
shrines,  and  causing  the  air  to  resound,  wherever  they  came, 
with  songs  in  praise  of  God  and  his  saints.  The  "'Flagellants,'" 
as  they  are  called,  who  traversed  all  Germany,  during  the 
time  of  the  great  plague  in  the  fourteenth  century,  had  a  num- 
ber of  penitential  hymns  which  they  sung  in  such  fashion, 
along  with  their  other  strange  observances,  to  excite  contri- 
tion in  the  public  mind.  But  these  were  cases  confessedly 
aside  from  the  common  practice  and  rule.  It  was  reserved 
for  the  Reformation  to  open  the  way  fully  for  popular  singing 
in  the  churches  ;  and  it  was  Luther  himself,  more  than  any  one 
else,  who  took  the  lead  in  this  revolution,  and  by  his  influence 
contributed  to  settle  its  character  and  form. 

He  put  his  own  hand  to  the  work  of  providing  both  hymns, 
and  suitable  melodies,  for  popular  use.  By  his  example  and 
exhortation  he  stirred  up  others  to  take  part  in  the  same  work. 
Later  poets  took  from  him  their  spirit  and  tone  ;  and  he  is  to 
be  regarded  as  laying  the  real  and  true  foundation,  in  this 
way,  of  the  almost  boundless  structure  of  the  German  hymn- 
ology  in  later  times. 

He  wrote  himself  thirty-seven  hymns.     Of  these,  a  number 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  565 

were  translations  of  Latin  hymns  in  common  use,  suoli  as  : 
"  jDrt  i)accm  Domini^''  '■^  0  hix^  beata  Trinitas,"  "  Veni  re- 
demptor  gentium^'"  kc.  Several  were  versifications  of  partic- 
ular psalms,  or  other  bible  passages,  among  the  rest,  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  the  Ten  Commandments  ;  four  were  old  German 
hymns  wrought  into  new  and  improved  shape  ;  while  as  many 
as  six,  it  would  seem,  not  more,  were  strictly  original  and  free 
in  their  composition. 

Of  the  merits  of  these  hymns  it  is  not  necessary  here  to 
speak.  This  is  sufficiently  attested  by  their  enduring  reputa- 
tion, and  the  power  which  has  been  felt  to  go  with  them  down 
to  the  present  time.  Their  effect,  when  they  first  appeared, 
was  very  great.  With  their  proper  melodies,  they  fell  in  so 
exactly  with  the  popular  religious  feeling  of  the  time,  that  it 
was  not  easy  to  set  any  bounds  to  their  influence  and  use. 
Tileman  Ilesshuss  does  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  by  the  one  sin- 
gle hymn  of  Luther,  "  ]\Mn  freut  eucli^  Uehe  Christeti-gemein,* ' 
many  hundred  persons  were  brought  to  the  right  faith,  who 
might  have  had  no  knowledge  otherwise  even  of  Luther*s 
name.  The  Carmelite  monk,  Thomas  a  Jesu,  in  like  manner 
testifies,  "  that  the  cause  of  Luther  had  been  astonishingly 
promoted  by  the  fact  that  his  hymns  were  sung  by  all  classes 
of  people,  not  merely  in  the  churches  and  schools,  but  also  in 
the  houses  and  woik-shops,  in  the  markets,  on  the  streets,  and 
in  the  fields."  Nay,  they  found  favor  even  among  his  declared 
enemies.  Of  this  class  was  Duke  Henry  of  Wolfenbuettel, 
who,  notwithstanding,  as  Sclnecker  informs  us,  caused  the 
hymns:  "  jE's  woIV  uns  Gott  genaedig  sein,"  ^' Einc  veste 
Burg  ist  unser  Gott,''  and  some  others,  to  bo  sung  in  his 
court  chapel.  The  Catholic  priest  represented  to  him,  that  he 
ought  not  to  tolerate  such  hymns.  On  his  being  asked,  how- 
ever, to  say  what  hymns  he  meant,  and  having  in  reply,  begun 
with  naming  the  first  of  the  two  just  mentioned  :  "  Us  tvolV 
uns  Gott genaedig  sein,''  the  Duke  is  reported  to  have  cut  him 
short  with  the  sharp  interrogation :  "i7i,  soil  uns  denn  dcr 
Teufel  gnaedig  sein?  wer  soil  2ins  denn  gnaedig  sein,  denn 
Gott  allein.''  So  the  priest  was  silenced,  and  Luther's  hymns 
continued  to  be  sung  as  before. 
27 


566  Christian  HymnoJogy.  [October, 

At  Lubeck,  in  the  year  1529,  as  a  Catholic  priest,  having 
preached,  was  about  to  offer  the  prayer  following  sermon, 
two  small  children  suddenly  struck  up  the  Lutheran  hymn  : 
^^  Ach  Gott  vom  Uimmel  sieh  dareiii,'"  when  the  Vv'hole  con- 
gregation at  once  fell  in  and  carried  it  through.  And  eo  after- 
wards, also,  whenever  a  sermon  was  preached  in  opposition  to 
the  new  doctrines,  the  people  followed  it  spontaneously  with 
the  same  hymn;  till  finally  the  government  yielded  to  their  earn- 
est entreaty,  and  consented  to  recall  the  Protestant  ministers 
who  had  been  previously  banished  from  the  place. 

It  was  in  somewhat  similar  style,  that  the  Reformation  was 
sung  into  Heidelberg.  The  Elector  Frederick,  through  fear 
of  the  Emperor,  was  slow  in  making  up  his  mind  to  abolish  the 
mass,  and  it  remained  in  use,  accordingly,  as  late  even  as 
1646.  In  that  year,  however,  on  a  certain  occasion,  as  the 
priest  stood  at  the  high  altar  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  perform  the  service,  a  solitary  voice  first,  and  then  at  once 
the  entire  congregation,  began  to  sing  aloud  the  familiar  hymn 
of  Paul  Speratus  :  "  Est  ist  das  Heil  uns  koinmen  her  ;"  thus 
plainly  showing  how  deeply  the  popular  mind  and  will  were 
bent  on  having  a  change  of  worship.  In  view  of  which  fact, 
we  are  told,  the  Elector  hesitated  no  longer,  but  forthwith 
gave  order  that  the  mass  should  be  set  aside,  and  the  Lord's 
Supper  administered  in  both  kinds  after  the  Protestant  fashion. 

The  first  hymn  book  in  the  service  of  the  Reformation  was 
published  by  Luther  in  the  year  1523,  and  consisted  of  simply 
tvy'O  plain  quarto  leaves,  containing  the  two  hymns  :  "  Nun 
freiit  euch^  liche  Christen-g'mein^''  by  himself,  and  "  ^s  ist 
das  Heil  uns  kommen  her,^'  by  Dr.  Paul  Speratus.  In  the 
following  year,  a  collection  of  eight  hymns  appeared,  text 
and  melody  together  as  before.  In  1526  the  number  publish- 
ed was  thirty- nine  ;  and  from  that  time  on  additions  were 
made  almost  every  year,  till  they  came  to  be  counted  at  last 
not  only  by  hundreds  but  by  thousands.  The  Danish  states- 
man, Moser,  had  in  his  possession  in  1751,  a  collection  of  50,- 
000  printed  German  hymns  ;  and  now  the  num.ber  is  consider- 
ed to  be  more  than  80,000.  Nearly  every  ten  years,  from  the 
time  of  tlic   Reformation,  has  produced  a  new,  more  or  less 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  567 

classic  poet  in  this  line,  or  at  all  events,  some  new  classic  com- 
position ;  whilst  single  writers,  such  as  Schmolk  and  llillcr, 
have  alone  produced  over  a  thousand  liymns,  to  swell  the  gen- 
eral stream. 

The  hymnology  of  Germany  since  the  Reformation,  like  its 
religion  and  theology  in  general,  has  a  history — not  simply  a 
numerical  heaping  together  of  names  and  dates — but  a  regu- 
lar process  or  movement  in  which  the  subject  is  comprehended 
as  a  whole  from  one  period  .to  another.  Its  main  periods  are, 
1st,  From  Luther  to  Taul  Gerhard  (1524-1650) ;  2nd,  From 
Paul  Gerhard  to  Gellert  (1650-1754);  3rd,  From  Gellert  to 
the  present  time. 

With  all  the  poets  of  the  first  period,  the  so  called  "  older 
school,"  the  distinguishing  characteristic  is  objectivity.  It 
was  the  period  of  faith  and  youthful  religious  life.  Its  hymns 
are  taken  up  with  the  great  objects  of  Christian  devotion,  the 
facts  and  realities  in  which  it  properly  terminates,  rather  than 
with  the  frames  and  feelings  simply  of  those  that  sing.  Firm, 
evangelical  trust  in  the  truths  of  the  Bible  forms  their  reign- 
ing tone  and  spirit  throughout.  The  human  sinks  out  of  view, 
to  make  room  for  that  which  is  held  to  be  immediately  divine. 
Hence  their  essentially  popular  nature  ;  their  enduring  suita- 
bleness, like  the  old  Latin  hymns  of  the  middle  ages,  to  all 
classes  of  persons  and  to  all  times.  They  are  not  of  an  order 
to  wear  out  or  grow  old. 

Among  the  more  important  hymnologists  of  this  period,  af- 
ter Luther  himself,  may  be  named,  according  to  their  countries 
and  tendencies,  the  following  ; 

First  the  Saxon  Reformers :  Justus  Jonas,  Doctor  of  Theol- 
ogy at  Wittenberg,  (f  1552,)  author  of  the  hymns,  "  Wo  Gott 
der  Herr  nicht  bei  uns  haelt,  wenn  unsre  Feinden  toben  " 
(after  Ps.  123.)  ;  "Der  Herr  ehoer  eucli  in  der  Noth  "  (after 
Ps.  20.) ;  '•^Ihrr  Jesu  Christ,  dein  Erb  ivir  sind"  (after  Ps. 
79.). — John  Agricola,  of  Eisleben,  (f  1566,)  who  composed 
two  hymns  after  Ps.  2  and  Ps.  117. — Paul  Eber,  Doctor  of 
Theology  and  General  Superintendent,  (tl5G9  ;)  he  wrote  sev- 
eral hymns,  among  others,  the  well  known  lines  for  a  dying 
person,  **  In  Christi  Wunden  schlaf  ich  ein.  Die  machen 
mich  von  Suenden  rein,  ^c'." 


568  Christian  Hymnology.  [October, 

Friends  of  the  Reformation  in  Nuremherg  :  Lazarus  Speng- 
ler,  a  leading  member  of  the  city  council,  (f  1534  ;)  Hans 
Sachs,  the  celebrated  minstrel,  (f  1576;)  he  exercised  his  art 
in  turning  hymns  to  the  Virgin  or  saints,  into  hymns  to  Christ, 
as  ^'  Dieh  Frau  vom  Himmel  ruf  icli  an,""  into  "  Christum 
vom  Himmel  ruf  ich  an  f^  ^' Sanct  Christoph  du  heiliger 
Mann^''  into  "  Christe  wahrer  Sohn  Grottes  fromm  ;"  and  so 
in  other  cases,  "which  served  to  show  his  sympathy  with  the 
cause  of  the  Reformation;  as  did  also  indeed  his  versions  of  famil- 
iar secular  songs  into  a  religious  form,  such  as,  for  instance,  "i2o- 
sina,  wo  war  dein  Cfestalt  Bei  Koenig  Paris  Lehen,  &c.,  into 
"  0  Christe,  wo  war  dein  Gestalt  Bei  Bapst  Sylvesters  Le- 
ben,''  Sebaldus  Heyd,  the  author  of  a  number  of  hymns. 
John  Hesse,  who,  among  other  things,  turned  the  popular 
song,  '' Inshruch  ich  muss  dieh  lassen,^'  into  a  hymn  com- 
mencing, "  0  Welt  ich  muss  dich  lassen,'' 

Prussian  Eeformers  :  Paul  Speratus,  (f  1554,)  author  of 
"^s  ist  des  Heil  uns  hommen  her,''  and  a  number  of  hymns 
besides.  John  Graumann,  (Poliander,)  assistant  of  Speratus 
in  the  Prussian  Reformation  (f  1541) .  Albert  Junior,  Margrave 
of  Brandenburg-Culmbach  (tl557).  Erasmus  Alberus,  (tl553,) 
a  poet,  whose  hymns  are  placed  by  Herder  and  Gervinus  in 
the  same  rank  with  Luther;  he  wrote,  ^'G-ott  hat  das  Evange- 
lium  ;"  "  Wer  Crotts  Wort  hat,  und  hleiht  dahei;"  &c. 

Cotemporary  with  these,  in  different  parts  of  Germany, 
were :  Nicolaus  Decius,  Preacher  at  Stettin.  John  Schnee- 
sing,  (Chiomusus,)  Preacher  at  Gotha.  Adam  Reussner. 
John  Matthesius,  who  produced,  among  other  compositions, 
the  beautiful  morning  hymn,  "  Aus  meines  Herzen's  Grun- 
de."  Nicolaus  Hermann,  the  "  old  pious  precentor"  of  Joach- 
imsthal  in  Bohemia,  and  the  intimate  friend  of  his  pastor,  the 
excellent  Matthesius  just  named  ;  whose  custom  it  was,  we  are 
told,  when  the  pastor  preached  a  good  sermon,  forthwith  to 
turn  its  leading  sentiments  into  the  form  of  a  hymn;  the  re- 
sult of  which,  in  the  end,  was  Hermann's  "  Evangelia  auf  alle 
Sonn-und  Festtage  in  G-esaengen  aufgestellt " — a  book  first 
published  at  Wittenberg  in  1560,  and  formerly  much  used. 

The  first  main  period  from  Luther  to  Paul  Gerhard  may 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  569 

itself  be  tllstributcd  into  three  subdivisions.  In  tliat  case,  the 
•first  closes  witli  Hermann  (a.  15C0).  After  this,  follows  what 
may  be  styled  the  "  time  of  controversy  among  the  disciples 
of  the  Reformers,"  (1560 — 1G18;)  in  the  course  of  which,  the 
hymnology,  without  parting  with  its  objective  character,  is 
found  gradually  losing  the  inspiration  of  vigorous  and  joyous 
faith  w^hich  it  had  in  the  beginning,  and  assuming  the  form  of 
dry  doctrinal  statement  in  conformity  with  the  too  often  bar- 
ren polemics  of  the  day.  In  many  cases,  they  degenerated 
into  short  dogmatical  tracts  in  verse,  or  became  mere  bible 
texts  and  passages  turned  into  flat  and  worthless  tissues  of 
rhyme. 

Among  the  crowd  of  such  tame  versifiers,  however,  there 
were  not  wanting,  during  this  time,  names  of  true  poetical  mer- 
it. As  such  we  may  mention  :  Bartholomew  Ringwaldt, 
(t  1598,)  from  whom  we  have,  among  others,  the  valuable  hymn, 
"  Es  ist  geivissUch  an  der  Zeit,''  formed  after  the  Dies  irae, 
Nicolaus  Selnecker,  (f  1592,)  the  intimate  pupil  and  friend  of 
Melancthon,  whose  moderate  Melancthonian  tendency  drew 
upon  him  the  fierce  hostility  both  of  the  rigid  Lutherans,  (they 
nicknamed  him  "  Seelhenker,")  and  of  the  Crypto-Calvinists, 
a  bitter  trial  that  lasted  all  his  days;  as  a  monument  of  his 
spirit,  he  has  left,  in  addition  to  other  productions,  behind 
him,  composed  in  the  heat  of  the  sacramental  controversies, 
the  tenderly  afi'ecting  hymn,  "  Ach  hleih  hei  uns  Herr  Jesu 
Christ/'  His  cotemporary,  Ludwig,  Ilelmbold,  (f  1598,) 
Pastor  and  Superintendent  at  Muhlhausen,  who  has  been  styl- 
ed the  ''  German  Asaph,"  on  account  of  his  many  hymns  and 
who  was  publicly  crowned  as  poet  at  the  Diet  of  Augsburg, 
a.  156G,  by  the  Emperor,  Maximilian  II.,  continues  to  be  still 
favorably  known,  especially  by  his  popular  composition,  "  Von 
Gott  wiUicJi  nicJit  lassen.  Caspar  Bieneman,  (Melissander.) 
who  was  a  disciple  of  Matthias  Flacius  in  the  Synergistic  dis- 
putes, was  called  to  sufier  hard  persecution  from  his  opponents, 
reaching  even  to  many  years  of  banishment,  and  from  whom 
we  have  the  hymn,  written  in  the  time  of  his  sore  trouble, 
a  J/crr  u'ic  du  wiUst,  so  scJiicJiS  mil  wzV."  Martin  Schalling, 
another  disciple  of  Melancthon,  who,  notwithstanding  his  dis- 


570  ChriBiian  ffymnology.  [October, 

position  to  pursue  a  conciliatory  course,  was  yet,  for  refusing 
to  sign  the  Form  of  Concord,  thrown  into  prison  and  deprived 
of  his  office  of  Superintendent  in  Amberg,  though  he  found  a 
peaceful  settlement  afterwards  again  in  Nuremberg,  (f  1608,) 
is  favorably  known  by  the  hymn,  "  Herzlich  lieh  hah  ich,  dich 
0  Herr:'  To  Martin  Moller,  (f  1606,)  we  owe  the  hymn, 
"  0  Jesii  Gottes  Laeminelein.''  Martin  Behemb  wrote  one 
hundred  and  fifty  sermons  on  the  Passion,  which  he  afterwards 
converted  into  one  hundred  and  fifty  prayers  in  rhyme. 
From  Philip  Nicolai  of  Hamburg,  (f  1608,)  we  have  the 
two  celebrated  hymns,  "  Wip.  s^choen  leucTit  uns  der  Morgan- 
stern "  and  "  WacJiet  auf,  ruft  uns  die  Stimme.''  Vale- 
rius Herberger,  (f  1627,)  deserves  to  be  named  as  the 
author  of  "  Valet  will  ich  dir  gehen.''  Here  must  be 
named  also  Louis,  Duke  of  Wurtemberg,  (f  1593,)  a  prince, 
more  theological  it  seems,  than  political,  who  often  assisted 
his  own  Tubingen  divines,  it  is  said,  by  whispering  into  their 
ear  the  right  bible  texts  which  they  could  not  always  at  once 
call  to  mind  ;  he  is  the  author  of  the  hymn,  "  Dieweil  rnein 
Stv.nd  vorJianden  ist.'^ 

Fruitful  as  the  time  w^as,  however,  in  the  production  of  sa- 
cred songs,  it  continued  very  sparing,  thus  far,  in  their  church 
use.  Only  the  most  solid  and  approved  hymns  were  sung  in 
public  service  ;  and  these  stood  for  the  most  part  unchangea- 
bly fixed,  not  simply  for  the  festival  seasons,  but  even  for  the 
common  Sundays.  So,  for  example,  on  all  the  Sundays  be- 
tween Easter  and  Ascension,  it  was  customary  to  sing  regu- 
larly the  same  hymn:  "  Vater unser  im  Himmelreich.''  With 
such  practice,  the  whole  congregation  were  of  course  perfectly 
familiar  with  these  standing  songs;  so  that  it  would  have  been 
considered  a  sort  of  unbecoming  affectation  for  any  one  in 
singing  to  use  a  book,  reading  horn  li  "  like  a  precentor." 
With  regard  to  this,  however,  a  change  began  to  prevail  during 
the  latter  portion  of  the  main  period  now  under  consideration. 

The  "  Thirty  Years  War  "  fell  heavily  on  Germany  and  the 
Protestant  Church  ;  but  it  was  not  without  its  salutary  influ- 
ence in  the  sphere  of  religion.  It  served  to  draw  off  the  minds 
of  men  from  dry  theological  disputes,  and  to  give  a  more  in- 
ward and  earnest  turn  to  their  Christian  thinking.     One  effect 


1856.]  Christian  ITymnology.  571 

of  this  was,  anew  cliaractor,  to  some  extent,  In  tlie  liymnolofry 
of  the  Cliiircii,  oju^ninf]^  the  way  for  what  has  boon  considered 
the  tliird  suhdivision  of  tlic  general  period  ending  with  Paul 
Gerhard  (1G18-It>50).  Koch's  estimate  of  it  is  too  favorable, 
when  he  pronounces  it  tlie  *' Schone  Bliitlienzcit,"  both  of 
church  music  and  church  song  ;  although  it  is  not  to  be  denied, 
that  we  are  indebted  to  it  for  many  truly  excellent  hymns,  dis- 
tinguished particularly  for  their  pathos  and  inward  unction. 
It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  a  considerable  improvement 
took  place  about  the  same  time  in  the  German  language  and  ver- 
sification. But  whatever  superiority  the  hymns  of  this  period 
may  have  over  the  older  ones,  in  point  of  pure  and  flowing 
style,  they  fall  behind  these  decidedly  in  true  Church  worth  ; 
being  characterized  not  unfrciiuently  by  a  certain  diiTusiveness, 
and  a  sort  of  didactic  preaching  moreover,  that  does  not  com- 
pare to  advantage  with  the  more  brief,  full,  and  direct  heart- 
utterances  of  the  earlier  school. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  distinguished  hymnologists  of 
this  period,  is  John  Ileermann,  of  Silesia,  (f  1647,)  the  author 
of  about  forty  hymns,  which  have  found  general  and  endurirg 
approbation.  Still  more  worthy  of  note  is  the  truly  poetical 
Andreas  Grj'phius,  (f  1GG4,)  whose  sixty-four  hymns,  although 
they  cannot  be  said  to  keep  always  within  the  bounds  of  proper 
Church  simplicity,  are  always  replete  with  sound  Church  sense. 
Henry  Held,  (f  1643,)  deserves  mention  also,  a  lawyer,  and 
one  of  the  best  poets  of  the  older  Silesian  school.  The  richly 
gifted  Paul  Flemming  belongs  to  the  same  time  (f  1610)  ;  to 
him  the  Church  owes  the  admirable  hymn,  "  In  alien  meinen 
Tfiaten^''  composed  as  he  was  setting  out  upon  his  journey  to 
Persia.  John  Hist,  (f  1667,)  stood  in  high  credit  among  his 
cotemporaries  as  a  religious  poet  ;  was  crowned  with  the  im- 
perial laureate  in  1664  ;  became  a  member  of  the  so-called 
*'  Fructiferous  Society,"  in  1645,  with  the  honorary  title  of 
"  Der  Rlistige;"  and  founded  himself,  in  1660,  the  poetical 
*'  Swan  Order  of  the  Elbe."  He  wrote  six  hundred  and  fifty 
eight  sacred  songs  ;  many  of  them  indeed  not  of  much  worth  ; 
as  his  great  popularity  tempted  him  to  write  too  much,  and  the 
wonderful  facility  with  ^Nhich  he  made  hynjus,  h^d  him  too  of- 


572  Christian  Ilymnology.  [October, 

ten  to  substitute  verbosity  for  strength,  mere  breadth  of  lan- 
guage for  depth  of  thought.  By  -way  of  justification  for  this, 
indeed,  he  tells  us  in  the  preface  to  his  '^  Seelenparadies,"  that 
it  is  only  through  much  bruising,  the  heavenly  spices  of  the 
Bible  give  forth  their  full  force  and  odor  ;  but  it  must  be  al- 
lowed, that  the  process  in  his  own  hands  results  too  often  in  a 
sort  of  hollow  bombast,  merely  made  to  supply  the  place  of  the 
true  spirit  and  power  of  devotion.  With  all  this,  however,  he 
has  left  behind  him  a  number  of  truly  beautiful  hymns.  John 
Hofel,  his  friend,  Doctor  of  Laws  and  Counsellor  in  Schwein- 
furt,  (t  1683,)  was  also  one  of  the  better  poets  of  the  time  ; 
a  most  earnest  minded  man,  who  had  his  own  coffin  made  in 
the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  his  later  life  read  little 
else  than  funeral  sermons,  of  which  he  had  a  collection  of  four 
thou.sand  ;  the  author,  among  other  hymns,  of  these  two  :  *'  0 
suesses  Wort,  das  Jesus  spricld  zur  armen  Wittwe,  iveine 
nicht''  and  "  Was  traurich  nocli.'"  Another  eminent  poet  is 
Dr.  Joshua  Stegmann,  (f  1632,)  the  author  of  the  truly  clas- 
sic composition,  '•'•  Acli,  hleih  mit  deiner  Gnade/'  From  Da- 
vid Denike,  (f  1680,)  we  have  about  twenty  hymns  ;  among 
them,  "•Wenn  icJi  die  lieilgen  Zehn  Gebot,''  and  '^  ITilf  Gott, 
wie  hat  der  Teufel  itzt  die  Leut  in  seinen  Stricken.''  Justus 
Gesenius,  his  colleague,  (f  1671,  as  Dr.  of  Theology  and  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  in  Hanover,)  wrote  also  several  hymns  of 
the  better  class.  He  and  Denike  published  besides,  the  Hano- 
verian Hymn  Book,  remarkable  as  being  the  first  that  ventured 
to  give  older  hymns  in  an  altered  form.  The  alterations,  it  is 
true,  regarded  only  faults  in  the  versification  and  language  of 
these  earlier  compositions,  leaving  their  sound  Christian  mat- 
ter and  substance  untouched  ;  but  still  they  were  a  small  pre- 
lude in  their  way  to  the  m.ore  serious  rage  for  innovation  which 
came  to  prevail  at  a  later  time.  With  these  may  be  named 
Tobias  Clausnitzer,  the  author  of  the  universally  familiar 
hymn,  ^'  Leihster  Jesu  wir  sind  hier  ;"  and  the  noble  minded 
Martin  Binkart,  who  composed,  on  the  occasion  of  the  West- 
phalian  Peace,  that  stirring,  trumpet  toned  anthem,  '•' Nuji 
danket  alle  Gott,  mit  Herzen,  Mund  und  Haenden.'' 

As  forming  the  Kcinigsberg  or  Prussian  school  of  the  time. 


1856.]  Christian  llymnology,  573 

the  subject  requires  us  to  notice  :  Simon  Dach,  its  proper 
master  and  head,  (f  IGoO,)  worthy  of  imitation,  less  through 
his  poetical  genius,  however,  than  his  cultivated  style,  as  a 
pattern  of  contemplative  lyrical  composition  ;  we  have  from 
him  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  hymns.  Henry  Alberti,  or- 
ganist to  the  Cathedral  Church  in  Konigsberg  ;  he  distinguish- 
ed himself,  not  merely  as  the  componist  of  a  number  of  excel- 
lent choral  melodies,  but  also  the  author  himself  of  several 
good  hymns.  Valentin  Thilo,  I^rofessor  of  Rhetoric,  (f  1GG2,) 
to  whom  we  owe  the  hymn,  **  Mit  Ernst  ihr  Menschcnkinder,'* 

The  most  brilliant  position  here,  however,  belongs  to  the 
pious  and  devoted  Paul  Gerhard,  (f  IGTG,  as  Pastor  at  Llib- 
ben,)  in  whose  person  finally  we  have  the  transition  from  the 
first  leading  or  main  period  of  the  German  hymnology  over  to 
the  second.  lie  was  at  home  himself,  we  may  say,  in  both, 
worthily  closing  the  older  stadium  as  he  worthily  introduced 
also  the  new.  "  Gerhard's  poems,"  Wackcrnagel  aptly  re- 
marks, "mirror  the  transitional  character  of  his  age,  in  which 
the  subjective  tendency,  the  power  of  individual  feeling  began 
to  make  itself  felt  in  connection  with  the  more  objective  con- 
fessional spirit  of  the  time  going  before  ;  so  that  we  may  look 
upon  him  as  the  last  and  most  complete  of  the  religious  poets, 
whose  minds  moved  strictly  in  the  confession  and  faith  of  the 
Church,  as  a  system  of  facts  beyond  themselves,  while  he  is 
seen  also  to  lead  the  way  for  the  succession  of  that  different 
class,  in  whose  hymns  the  adoration  of  God,  and  homage  to 
the  revelation  of  his  attributes  and  works,  yield  to  the  expres- 
sion of  those  sentiments,  with  which  the  soul  is  overpowered  in 
view  of  its  own  relations  to  the  High  and  Holy  One.  He  stood 
on  the  summit  of  the  age,  and  both  tendencies  were  united  in 
him  with  the  fullest  life."  Of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty 
hymns  composed  by  him,  more  than  thirty  are  classic  models 
for  all  time ;  such  as  :  "  Ich  singe  dir  mit  Hcrz  und  Mund  ;" 
'*Ich  weiss,  dass  mein  Erbescr  lebt ;"  "0  Haupt  voU  Blut  und 
Wunden  ;"  &c. 

Dividing  again,  as  is  variously  done,  the  second  main  period 
of  the  German  hymnology,  from  Gerhard  to  Gcllcrt,  (lUoO- 
1760,)  into  subordinate  sections,   we  may  include  in  the  first, 


574  *  Christian  Eymnology.  [October, 

the  immediate  disciplesliip  of  Gerhard  himself,  a  school  whose 
lyrical  productions  in  general  bear  the  character  of  popular  be- 
lieving devotion.  As  belonging  to  this  circle,  we  name:  The 
pious  princess,  Louisa  Henrietta  of  Brandenburg,  (f  1667,) 
who  composed  four  hymns  ;  among  these  the  two  of  classic 
celebrity,  "Jesus  meine  Zuversicht "  and  "Ich  will  von 
meiner  Missethat."  William  II.,  Duke  of  Saxe-Weimar,  hon- 
ored with  the  title  of  "  Der  Schmackhafte,"  (f  1662  ;)  the  au- 
thor, among  several  other  hymns  of  the  one  still  in  common 
use,  "  Herr  Jesu  Christ  dich  zu  uns  wend."  John  Maukisch, 
(t  1669,)  author  of  "  Ach  Jesu  gieb  mir  sanften  Muth." 
George  Neumark,  ornamented  as  a  member  of  the  "  Fructi- 
ferous Society  "  with  the  title  of  "  Der  Sprossende  ;"  he  com- 
posed the  well  known  hymn,  "  Wer  nur  den  lieben  Gott  lasst 
walten,"  and  furnished  it  also  with  its  proper  melody  or  tune. 
John  Frank  (f  1677)  ;  he  wrote  about  one  hundred  and  ten 
hymns,  which  bear  a  close  relation  to  those  of  Gerhard,  but  at 
the  same  time  give  much  more  prominence  to  the  subjective 
element,  and  first  begin  to  strike  the  chord  of  that  longing  af- 
ter inward  union  with  Christ,  whose  vibrations  enter  so  largely 
soon  afterwards  into  the  poetry  of  the  Church.  Ernst  Chris- 
toph  Homburg,  known  in  the  Poetical  Society  before  named, 
under  the  title  of  "  Der  Keusche,"  and  possessing  much  of  the 
same  character,  (f  1681  ;)  among  his  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sacred  lyrics  is  included  the  beautiful  Passion  hymn,  "Jesu, 
meines  Lebens  Leben."  We  mention  besides  only  John 
George  Albinus,  and  Michael  Schrimer,  with  whom  this  par- 
ticular circle  may  be  regarded  as  coming  to  a  close. 

Next  follows  the  Nuremberg  circle,  members  for  the  most 
part  of  a  particular  Poetical  Fraternity  established  in  that 
place,  the  leading  characteristic  of  whose  compositions  may 
be  given  as  devotional  sentimentalism.  We  have  in  the  case, 
as  Gervinus  well  remarks,  a  transition  from  David  to  Solomon; 
and  what  the  Psalms  had  been  before,  Solomon's  Song  became 
now  with  the  class  before  us,  in  the  way  of  type  for  sacred 
poetry.  As  writers  of  this  sentimental  pastoral  order,  it  may 
be  sufficient  simply  to  name:  George  Philip  Ilarsdorf,  the 
original  founder  of  the  order  ;  Sigismund  von  Birken  ;  Andre- 


1856.]  Christian  Uymnology,  575 

as  InfTolstcttcr;  Cliristophcr  Weglcitcr  ;  and  Goorgo  Cliristo- 
plicr  Scliwammlcin.  From  these  we  have  quite  a  number  of 
liymns  ;  some  of  wliich  are  acknowledged  to  be  of  lasting 
merit. 

The  third  circle  is  formed  by  the  poets  of  what  has  been 
styled,  "  the  second  Silcsian  school  ;"  the  character  of  which 
Koch,  the  author  of  this  classification,  makes  to  be  a  certain 
mystical  habit  joined  to  the  sentimentality  of  the  previous 
class.  This  holds  good  in  truth,  however,  only  of  some  few 
among  the  Silcsian  poets  ;  and  these  arc  to  be  regarded  as 
solitary  harbingers  of  the  tendency  which  was  afterwards 
brought  out  by  the  influence  of  Spener,  rather  than  as  the 
proper  representatives  of  the  Silesian  hymnology  in  general. 
The  succession  of  the  proper  mystical  sentimentalists  opens 
with  John  Scheffler,  (f  1GT7,)  the  title  of  whose  poetry, 
*'  Heilige  Seelenlust,  oder  geistliche  Ilirtenlieder  dcr  in  ihren 
Jesum  verliebten  Psyche,"  is  of  itself  suflicient  to  show  the 
contact  of  his  mind  with  the  writings  of  Schwenkfeld  and 
Weigel,  as  well  as  the  influence  which  had  been  exercised  upon 
it  by  the  lyrical  school  of  Nuremberg.  He  passed  over  finally 
to  the  Catholic  Church.  Then  we  have  Christian  Knorr  von 
llosenroth,  (f  1G89,)  a  kindred  spirit,  known  by  his  alchy- 
mistic  and  cabbalistic  studies,  the  results  of  which  were  em- 
bodied in  his  famous  "  Kabbala  Denudata."  Of  his  seventy- 
five  hymns,  glowing  throughout  with  desire  for  union  with 
Christ,  one  of  the  best  known  is,  "  Morgenglanz  dcr  Ewigkcit." 
A  similar  character  belongs  to  the  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
hymns  of  Ludiimilia  Elizabeth,  Countess  of  Schwarzburg-Ru- 
dolstadt,  (t  1672,)  who,  even  in  early  youth,  despised  the 
world  and  held  "to  her  Jesus  ;"  as  a  specimen  of  her  compo- 
sition, we  may  mention  the  sacramental  hymn,  "  Jetzt  kommt 
mein  Gott,  cin  armer  Gast."  Ilcr  friend  and  counselor,  Dr. 
Ahasuerus  Fritsch,  afterwards  Chancellor  of  the  University  of 
Jena,  (f  1701,)  known  as  the  founder  of  the  "  Jesusgesell- 
schaft,"  and  as  the  author  of  *'  Ilundert  ein  und  zwanzig  neu- 
en  himmelsiissen  Jesusliedcrn,"  belon^js  to  the  same  mvstical 
tendency. 

In  proportion,  however,  as  the  Christian  faith  in  the  latter 


576  CJiristian  Hymnology,  [OctolDer, 

part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  stiffened  into  cold  dead  ortho- 
doxy in  one  direction,  and  ran  into  transcendental  mysticism 
in  another,  there  was  felt  to  be  both  occasion  and  need  for  a 
renovation  in  the  hymnology  of  the  Church  as  well  as  in  its 
religious  life  generally;  such  as  now  arose  in  fact,  through  the 
agency  mainly  of  the  celebrated  Philip  Jacob  Spener,  (f  1705;) 
who  opens  the  way  accordingly  for  a  new  and  widely  impor- 
tant era  in  the  history  which  we  have  here  in  hand.  He  him- 
self composed  nine  hymns,  all  pervaded  with  the  deepest 
Christian  feeling.  As  belonging  to  his  immediate  school,  and 
breathing  the  same  spirit  with  himself,  we  name  :  John  Caspar 
Schade,  (1698.)  so  true  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  Spener  tells  us, 
that  he  knew  not  any  his  like.  The  pious  and  excellent  Scriv- 
er,  (1693,)  author  of  the  celebrated  hymn,  "  Jesu  meiner 
Seelen  Leben,"  in  which  every  verse  ends  with  the  refrain, 
*'  Ich  bin  dein,  und  du  bist  mein,"  allerliebstes  Jesulein." 
Baron  von  Kanitz,  (f  1699,)  Prussian  Privy  Counsellor,  and 
the  intimate  friend  of  Spener  in  Berlin,  distinguished  for  the 
union  of  clear,  sound  judgment,  with  the  spirit  of  deep  and  earn- 
est devotion.  John  Jacob  Schlltz,  (f  1690,)  author  of  the  truly 
churchly  and  beautiful  hymn,  "  Sey  Lob  und  Ehr  dem  hoch- 
sten  Gut."  Joachim  Neander,  German  Reformed  preacher 
of  St.  Martin's  church,  in  Bremen  ;  without  poetical  brilliancy, 
his  hymns,  nevertheless,  abound  in  hearty  fervor,  are  biblical 
in  thought  and  expression,  and  avoid  all  unclean  mysticism, 
Christopher  Titius,  (f  1703,)  the  writer  of  fifty-four  hymns. 
Adam  Drese,  organist  in  Weimar  ;  suddenly  converted  from  a 
gay  worldly  life  in  1680,  by  Spener's  writings,  and  known  af- 
terwards as  a  decided  Pietist,  (f  1718;)  author  of  the  hymn, 
"Seelen  briiutigam,  Jesu  Gotteslamm."  Caspar  Frederick 
Nachtenhofer  (f  1685).  Samuel  Bodigast  (t  1708).  Lauren- 
tius  Laurenti,  (f  1722  ;)  he  wrote  a  collection  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-nine  hytnns,  under  the  title,  *'  Evangelia  Melodica." 
Cyriacus  Gl'inther  (f  1704). 

These  represent  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  sound  and  le- 
gitimate form  of  the  Spenerian  movement.  It  is  well  known, 
however,  that  there  was  a  tendency  in  it  also  to  aberration  and 
excess.     Thi  s  gave  rise  even  in  his  own  lifetime,  to  three  dif- 


1856.]  Christian  Tlymnologij.  517 

ferent  lines  of  thinking,  which  afterwards  became  more  fully 
developed  as  so  many  separate  offshoots  from  his  religious  sys- 
tem namely,  the  Mystico-Scparatistic,  the  Pietistic,  and  the 
Moravians.  These  exerted  severally  an  important  influence 
in  the  sphere  of  hymnology,  and  produced  in  fact  three  differ- 
ent types  of  religious  poetry,  each  bearing  its  o^v'n  distinctive 
character  and  stamp. 

Among  the  writers  of  the  first  class,  it  may  be  sufScient  to 
mention  the  names  simply  of  the  celebrated  Gottfried  Arnold, 
Conrad  Dipple,  ("  Christianus  Democritus,"  as  he  styled  him- 
self,) and  Gerard  Tersteegen.  This  last  has  been  pronounced 
the  best  lyrical  poet  of  the  Reformed  Church.  His  hymns  are 
characterized  by  a  most  artless  simplicity,  but  possess  at  the 
same  time  an  inimitable  depth  and  force.  From  Arnold  we 
have  one  hundred  and  thirty  hymns  ;  "divine  love  sparks," 
according  to  his  own  title  in  one  case,  "  sprung  and  collected 
from  the  great  fire  of  God's  love  in  Christ  Jesus."  Altogeth- 
er the  school  was  very  active  in  hymnological  efforts,  as  ap- 
pears from  its  various  collections ;  among  which  may  be  cited 
in  particular,  "  Jesuslieder  fur  seine  Glieder,  sonderlich  fUr 
die  Kleine  und  Reine,  die  mehr  im  Wesen  haben  als  im 
Scheine,"  a  work  published  in  two  parts,  1720  and  1723. 

A  far  wider  field,  however,  opens  before  us  in  the  hymnolo- 
gy of  the  Pietists.  Here,  also,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Mystics, 
the  reigning  character  is  subjectivity,  and  what  we  may  call 
the  intensification  of  personal  experience,  in  the  form  of  love 
to  the  Saviour  and  daily  soul  conflicts  with  the  power  of  in- 
dwelling sin.  The  tendency  groups  itself  again  into  three  di- 
visions or  branches. 

First,  we  have  the  Pietistic  school  of  Ilallc.  This  includes: 
The  celebrated  founder  of  the  Orphan  House,  Aug.  Herm. 
Franke,  (f  1727,)  whose  praise  is  in  the  whole  Christian  world; 
he  wrote  the  two  hymns  in  common  use,  "  Gott  Lob,  ein 
Schritt  zur  Ewigkeit  "  and  "  Was  von  aussen  und  von  innen." 
His  son-in-law,  John  Anastasius  Frclinghausen,  (f  1730.) 
Joachim  Justus  Breithaupt,  (f  1732.)  Joachim  Lange,  the 
distinguished  defender  of  the  Pietists  against  Valentine  Loscher 
and  the  philosopher  Wolf,    (f  1744.)     John   Daniel  Herrn- 


578  Christian  Hymnology,  [October, 

Schmidt,  (f  1723.)  Christ.  Fred.  Richter,  the  pious  physician, 
of  the  Orphan  House,  (f  1711.)  John  Henry  Schroder, 
(t  1728.)  John  Eusebius  Schmidt,  (t  1745.)  Peter  Lackmann, 
(t  1718.)  John  Joseph  Winkler,  (f  1722.)  Wolfg.  Christ. 
Dessler,  (f  1722.)  Ludw.  And.  Gotter,  (f  1735  ;)  a  most 
fruitful  writer,  who  turned  the  whole  Psalter  into  a  rhyme, 
wrought  the  history  of  the  Passion  into  a  poem  of  sixty-seven 
verses,  and  composed  altogether  as  many  as  two  hundred  and 
thirty-one  hymns.  Barthol.  Crassius,  (f  1724.)  Michael 
Muller,  (t  1704.)  John  Muthmann,  (f  1747.)  Ernst  Lange, 
(t  1727.)  Emily  Juliana,  Countess  of  Schwartzburg-Rudol- 
stadt,  (t  1706;)  she  wrote  five  hundred  and  eighty  hymns; 
among  them,  "  Wer  weiss,  wie  nahe  mir  mein  Ende."  The 
whole  collection  appeared  after  her  death,  under  the  title  *'Der 
Freuendin  des  Lammes  geistlicher  Brautschmuck  ;"  and  may 
be  considered  a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  the  older  and 
younger  fashions  of  this  school ;  participating  largely  as  it 
does  in  the  forms  of  thought  and  expression  which  give  to  the 
last  its  distinctive  peculiarity. 

This  peculiarity  consists  in  the  great  extreme,  to  which  the 
subjective  tendency  is  allowed  to  proceed.  Sound  Christian 
feeling,  under  its  influence,  degenerates  more  and  more  into  a 
sort  of  fond  love-sick  sensibility;  and  for  the  proper  gravity 
and  simplicity  of  true  devotional  language  is  substituted  a 
more  affected  diction,  forced  and  obscure,  abounding  in  ima- 
ges and  allegories  drawn  from  the  Old  Testament,  in  which 
more  particularly  the  bridal  relation  of  the  soul  espoused  to 
Christ  is  portrayed  frequently  in  an  unbecoming  manner. 

The  best  specimens  of  the  style  are :  Charles  Henry  von 
Bogatzky,  the  author  of  the  widely  famous  "  Glildenes  Schatz- 
kiistlein,"  (f  1774,)  who  wrote  upwards  of  four  hundred  hymns. 
Ulrich  Bogislaus  von  Benin,  (f  1752 ;)  originally  a  soldier, 
who  afterwards  studied  theology  at  Halle.  Benigna  Maria, 
Countess  of  Reuss-Ebersdorf,  (f  1751;)  a  woman,  in  whom  an 
unusual  extent  of  learning,  such  as  embraced  even  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  was  joined  with  the 
most  truly  child-like  humility  and  love  to  the  Saviour. 

It  is,  however,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Cothen  circle,  that 


1856.]  Christian  ffymnology.  579 

we  are  to  look  for  the  most  decided  expression  of  tliis  later 
style  of  tlie  ILille  Pietism.  One  of  its  leading  representatives 
was  John  Louis  Conrad  Allendorf,  Court  Preacher  at  Cothen, 
afterwards  School  Inspector  in  Ilalle,  (f  1773  :)  he  wrote  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  "Love  Songs  to  Christ,  tlie  Lamb  of 
God  and  Ijiidegroom  of  Believing  Souls;"  and  published  also 
the  so-called  Cothen  collection  of  hymns,  which,  from  a  compar- 
atively small  beginning,  grew  into  continually  larger  size,  till 
at  last  we  find  it  brought  out  at  Halle  in  three  parts.  To  the 
same  circle  belong  :  Leopold  Francis  Frederick  Lehr,  (f  1744,) 
whose  hymns  were  collected  under  the  title,  "  Heavenly  De- 
light in  God  and  Christ."  Samuel  Lau,  (f  1746,)  author  of 
the  hymn,  "  Ach  Ilerr,  du  wollest  die  Wehmuth  stillen." 
Christ.  Ludw.  Schcitt,  Court  Counsellor  and  Librarian  at 
Hanover,  (f  1761,)  whose  hymns  were  taken  into  the  Cothen 
collection.  John  Sigism.  Kunth,  (t  1779,)  to  whom  we  owe 
the  fine  hymn,  "  Es  ist  noch  eine  Ruh  vorhandcn."  Ern. 
Gottlieb  AVoltdersdorf,  (t  1761,)  the  writer  of  two  hundred  and 
eighteen  hymns,  which  he  published  under  the  title  of  "  Evan- 
gelical Psalms." 

The  second  branch  of  the  Pietistic  school  takes  its  name 
from  Wurtemberg.  Its  poetry  preserves  throughout  a  more 
sound  and  healthful  character  than  that  of  the  Halle  school  ; 
avoids  the  too  amorous  tone  especially  of  its  later  development, 
as  this  appears  in  the  Cothen  circle  ;  adheres  mainly  to  the 
strong  and  pithy  language  of  the  Bible,  and  instead  of  losing 
itself  with  Tcrsteegen,  and  the  other  mystics  of  Northern  Ger- 
many, in  the  dark  and  hidden  depths  of  the  soul's  own  life  in 
God,  seeks  joy  and  freedom  rather  after  the  example  of  Bengel, 
and  in  the  true  spirit  of  Suabian  hopefulness  and  faith,  in  the 
contemplation  of  things  to  come  and  the  prospect  of  everlast- 
ing life.  "  I  have  taken  pains,"  says  Phil.  Fred.  Ililler,  one 
of  the  leading  poets  of  this  school,  "  to  cultivate  simplicity  ; 
avoiding  the  exaggerated  expressions  of  a  high  flowing  fancy, 
and  those  quite  too  familiar  terms  in  which  some  allow  them- 
selves to  speak  of  Christ  as  a  brother,  of  kisses  and  embraces, 
of  single  souls  as  though  each  were  separately  a  bride  of  Christ, 
or  of  child-like  fondlings  of  Jesus  considered  as  a  little  child. 


580  Christian  Hymnology,  [October, 

For  such  reverence  towards  the  majesty  of  our  Saviour,  I 
shall  not  be  blamed  certainly  by  serious  minds."  He  died  as 
pastor  in  Steinheim,  a.  1769  ;  having  written  no  less  than  one 
thousand  and  seventy-nine  hymns,  most  of  them  of  very  con- 
siderable merit.  In  particular  his  "Liederkastlein,"  found 
universal  popularity,  and  next  to  the  Bible  and  Arndt's 
"  Wahres  Christenthum,"  Knapp  tells  us,  contributed  by  its 
general  use  to  form  that  peculiar  style  of  piety  which  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  name  of  Old  Wurtemberg.  To  the  same  school 
belong  :  John  Reinhard  Hedinger,  Court  Preacher  in  Stutt- 
gart, (t  1704,)  distinguished  both  for  his  learning  and  piety. 
John  Alb.  Bengel,  (t  1752,)  who,  with  his  other  large  claims 
to  praise,  is  favorably  known  also  by  his  hymns.  William 
Gottlieb  Tafinger,  (f  1757.)  John  Christian  Storr,  (t  1773,) 
one  of  Bengel's  most  worthy  disciples.  John  Jacob  von  Moser, 
the  noble  martyr  for  truth  and  right,  (t  1785 ;)  he  produced 
upwards  of  one  thousand  excellent  hymns  ;  part  of  which  were 
composed  by  him  during  his  imprisonment  at  Hohentwiel,  and 
written  with  a  pair  of  snuffers  on  the  white  wall  of  the  room 
in  which  he  was  confined.  Christ.  Charles  Louis  von  Pfeil, 
(t  1784  ;)  a  zealous  admirer  particularly  of  Bengel's  apocalyp- 
tic ideas,  which  he  wrought  accordingly  into  the  form  of  a 
series  of  hymns.     He  resembles  Bogatzky  at  times. 

The  third  branch  of  Pietism  is  that  of  Upper  Lusatia. 
Here  there  is  an  approximation  again,  in  sacred  poetry,  to  the 
later  school  of  Halle.  As  belonging  to  it  we  may  name  :  Hen- 
rietta Catharine  von  Gersdorff,  the  grandmother  of  Zinzendorf, 
(t  1726,)  from  whom  comes  the  beautiful  hymn,  "Befiehldem 
Herren  deine  Wege.  John  Mentzer,  (t  1734  ;)  author,  among 
others,  of  the  New-Year's  hymn,  *'Nur  Jesus,  nichts  als  Jesus 
heisset."  John  And.  Rothe,  Pastor  at  Berthelsdorf,  under 
the  patronage  of  Count  Zinzendorf  ;  with  whom  he  labored  a 
number  of  years,  till  at  last  their  difference  of  views  constrain- 
ed him  to  resign  his  situation,  and  seek  another  place,  (t  1758.) 
One  of  his  best  hymns  is  the  well  known  ''  Ich  habe  nun  den 
Grund  gefunden.". 

We  come  now  to  the  hymnology  of  the  Moravians.  Unduly 
lauded  in  one  direction,  it  has  been  as  unreasonably  disparaged 


1856.]  Christtian  ITymnolojy.  581 

in  anotlicr.  Devotion  to  the  Redeemer,  tlic  overwhelming 
sense  of  his  love,  the  apprehension  of  his  spiritual  beauty  as 
it  shines  through  the  cross,  may  be  said  to  form  its  reigning 
tone.  To  the  rich  fulness  of  this  feeling  it  owes  its  strength; 
to  the  absorbing  exclusiveness  of  it  again,  as  feeling  merely 
apart  from  doctrine,  may  be  attributed  in  a  certain  sense  its 
weakness.  On  the  whole,  it  is  characterized  by  a  large  amount 
of  lyrical  simplicity,  force,  and  beauty  ;  although  at  times 
runnin;]j  into  strange  fantastical  conceits  and  the  most  won- 
derful  vagaries  of  enthusiastic  nonsense.  Zinzendorf  himself 
composed  upwards  of  two  thousand  hymns;  many  of  which  are 
deserving  of  all  praise.  Ilis  productivity  was  so  great  in  this 
kind  of  composition,  we  are  told,  that  he  sometimes  improvis- 
ed verses  for  his  congregation  to  sing  as  he  gave  them  out. 
His  son,  Christ.  Renatus  von  Zinzendorf,  (t  1T52,)  holds  a 
place  also  among  the  Moravian  poets.  We  add  here  besides, 
as  belonging  to  the  list  :  The  celebrated  Bishop  Aug.  Gottlieb 
Spangenbcrg,  the  author  of  the  *^  Idea  Fidei  Fratrum," 
(t  1792 ;)  who,  for  his  learning  and  gentleness  combined,  was 
rightly  styled  the  "  Mclancthon  "  of  the  communion.  His 
successor  in  the  episcopal  office,  the  respectable  and  worthy 
Organist,  Christian  Gregory,  sometimes  named  the  "  Asaph  of 
Ilerrnhut ;"  a  title  which  was  earned  by  the  composition  of  a 
large  number  of  hymns,  as  well  as  by  his  services  rendered  to 
the  cause  of  Church  music  in  other  ways.  Finally,  Henry 
von  Bruiningk  (t  1795). 

So  much  for  the  Mystics,  Pietists,  and  Moravians.  All 
this,  however,  gives  us  only  one  side  of  the  hymnological  histo- 
ry of  the  period  now  under  consideration.  To  make  it  com- 
plete, we  need  to  take  into  view  what  was  going  forward  in 
this  line  at  the  same  time  among  the  Orthodox,  the  party  which 
made  a  merit  of  honoring  and  obeying  the  authority  of  the 
Church  in  its  established  form. 

Here  we  find,  in  the  first  place,  what  deserves  to  be  honor- 
ed as  a  sound  conservative  interest,  which  made  itself  felt  with 
salutary  force  in  the  way  of  at  least  partial  counterpoise  to  the 
extreme  subjectivity  of  the  opposite  unchurchly  and  unconfos- 
sional  tendency.  We  may  name  as  its  highly  respectable  rep- 
28 


582  Christian  Hymnology,  fOctober, 

resentatlvcs  :  "  John  Jacob  Rambach,  Professor  of  Theology 
in  Giessen,  (t  1735;)  one  of  the  most  distinguished  divines  of 
the  age,  in  whom  the  love  of  sound  doctrine,  and  zeal  for  prac- 
tical piety,  were  blended  together  in  the  most  happy  combina- 
tion. This  is  shown  in  his  hymns  :  which  are  so  formed  as  to 
address  at  once  both  the  understanding  a.nd  the  heart.  Erd- 
mann  Neumeister,  Pastor  in  Hamburg,  (t  1756  ;)  a  very  fruit- 
ful writer,  from  whom  we  have  about  seven  hundred  hymns  ; 
in  which,  for  the  most  part,  a  genuine  sense  of  personal  prac- 
tical Christianity  prevails,  free  alike  from  dr}^  didactic  formality 
and  high  wrought  spiritual  sentimentalism.  To  his  collection 
belong  the  universally  popular  "Eitle  Welt,  ich  bin  dein 
mlide,"  and  "Jesus  nimmt  die  Sunder  an  ;"  hymns,  ^^hich 
would  hardly  have  led  one  to  guess,  that  the  author  was  known 
all  his  life  as  the  foe  of  Pietism,  and  one  of  the  most  earnest 
opponents  of  "  Spener's  errors."  Valentine  Ernst  Loscher, 
Pastor  in  Dresden,  (t  1749:)  known  as  a  more  earnest  cham- 
pion still  of  the  unadulterated  Lutheran  faith  ;  the  very  learn- 
ed and  highly  celebrated  leader  and  head  of  the  orthodox 
party  for  years,  in  opposition  to  the  Spenerian  movement. 
Pernard  Walther  Marperger,  (t  1746  ;)  a  man  of  mild  Melanc- 
thonian  spirit,  whose  moderation  drew  upon  him,  with  some, 
the  reproach  of  being  himself  too  favorably  inclined  to  the 
Pietistic  interest.  Solomon  Frank,  of  Weimar,  (t  1725  ;)  the 
author  of  about  three  hundred  hymns.  Benjamin  Schmolk, 
(t  1737  ;)  styled  sometinjes  the  "  Silesian  Rist,"  or  the  "Se- 
cond Apitz,"  in  compliment  to  his  poetical  merits:  who  has 
left  us  in  all  eleven  hundred  and  eighty-eight  sacred  songs, 
the  greater  part  of  them  good,  both  as  to  matter  and  style. 
He  took  for  his  pattern  Paul  Gerhard  ;  and  although  not  equal 
to  him  in  poetical  elevation,  he  succeeded  very  well  for  the 
most  part  in  seizing  his  popular  homelike  tone  ;  which  lias 
caused  his  hymns  to  be  used  among  pious  families  in  Silesia, 
in  their  morning  and  evening  devotions,  down  to  the  present 
time  ;  making  him  in  this  respect  for  Silesia,  what  Ililler  has 
been  to  Wirtemberg. 

Looking  in  another  direction,  however,  we  find  the  spirit  of 
sacred  poetry  in  a  process  of  marked  deterioration  and  decline. 


1856.]  CJiristian  Hymnology.  583 

Witness  such  monuments  as  these  following :  The  collection  of 
Pastor  ITcnry  Cornelius  Ilecker,  (t  1.743  ;)  made  up  of  hymns 
which  he  composed  as  recapitulations  of  his  own  sermons,  with 
the  view  of  reducing,  as  he  said,  all  the  articles  of  faith  and 
morals  to  verse.  The  "Evangelisch  Liedcrtheologie  "  of  Pe- 
ter Buscl],  Pastor  in  Hanover,  (t  1744,)  in  like  strain.  The 
'*  Theologia  in  Ilymnis,"  published  about  the  same  time  by  Ja- 
cob Gottschald,  containing  a  number  of  metrical  tracts  on  sin- 
gle points  of  morality,  such  as  the  love  of  dress,  the  passion 
for  gaming,  the  use  of  tobacco,  dancing,  &c.  Finally,  though 
of  somewhat  earlier  date,  the  collection  of  Laurence  Ilartmann, 
of  Critzkow,  under  the  title  of  "  Des  geistlichen  und  evangel- 
ischen  Zions  neue  Standeslieder,"  made  up  of  hymns  for  the 
different  professions  and  trades,  clerks,  farmers,  barbers,  &c., 
taken  in  alphabetical  order. 

The  period  that  commences  so  brilliantly  with  Paul  Gerhard, 
is  to  be  regarded  as  dying  out  in  these  manifestations.  The 
time  called  for  a  new  genius,  who  might  be  the  creator  of  a 
new  era  in  the  history  of  sacred  song.  Such  in  fact  was  the 
pious  Christian  F'lirchtegott  Gellert;  who  died  a.  175G,  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Philosophy  in  Leipzig. 

Gellert  is  to  be  judged  from  his  own  age.  We  do  not  find 
in  him  the  tone  of  stronfij  vi^-orous  faith,  which  characterizes 
the  compositions  of  Luther  or  Paul  Gerhard.  But  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind,  that  the  time  also  in  which  he  lived  had  be- 
come altogether  diflerent.  The  objective  power  of  Christiani- 
ty, considered  as  a  system  of  pure  outward  revelation,  was  in 
large  measure  broken.  To  the  subjectivity  of  mere  feeling, 
the  Pictistic  tendency,  in  one  direction,  there  had  come  to  be 
opposed  the  strangely  kindred  subjectivity  of  mere  intellect, 
the  Rationalistic  tendency,  in  another.  It  was  the  age  of 
skepticism  and  of  little  faith.  Gellert's  poetry  is  addressed 
throughout  to  this  habit  of  mind  ;and  his  merit  lies  in  the  pow- 
er and  skill,  with  which  he  was  able  to  adapt  himself  to  its  re- 
ligious necessities  and  wants.  Correct,  grave,  clear,  at  once 
didactic  and  pathetic,  his  hymns  commanded  the  respect  of 
those  who  affected  to  despise  the  antiquated  ideas  of  previous 
times,  and  went  at  once  both  to  the  understanding  and  heart  of  all 


584  Christian  Hymnology.  [October, 

classes  of  people.  Hence  their  wide  popularity,  continuing 
down  to  the  present  time. 

But,  however  good  and  useful  his  hymns  may  have  been 
found,  in  the  view  now  mentioned,  it  is  still  certain  that  the  au- 
thor stood  himself  in  the  bosom  of  the  general  religious  life,  to 
whose  infirmities  his  mission  called  him  to  condescend  ;  and  it 
is  not,  therefore,  wholly  without  cause,  we  may  believe,  that 
he  has  been  sometimes  represented  as  one,  whose  influence 
served  powerfully  after  all  to  help  forward  the  reigning  ration- 
alistic tendency  of  the  seventeenth  century,  as  it  comes  out 
more  fully  in  the  mere  moralizing  tone  of  others,  who  feebly 
attempted  to  imitate  his  manner  and  style.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
it  is  certain  at  all  events  that  Rationalism  now  began  to  make 
itself  felt  in  the  field  of  hymnology  more  and  more  in  this 
way.  It  became  the  fashion  to  take  exception  to  the  older 
hymns,  as  being  out  of  taste,  when  the  objection  lay  in  fact  to 
their  theological  heart  and  life.  They  must  be  either  modern- 
ized or  allowed  to  go  into  decay.  It  was  the  time  for  morali- 
ties rather  than  mysticisms.  Virtues  and  duties  seemed  fitter 
themes  for  sacred  song  than  the  facts  of  grace  or  the  objects  of 
faith. 

Along  with  Gellert,  it  is  common  to  name  Klopstock,  the 
celebrated  author  of  the  "  Messiah,"  (t  1803,)  as  a  leader  also 
in  the  new  era  of  poetry,  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  His 
own  conception  of  the  significance  of  his  supposed  vocation  in 
this  view,  seems  at  any  rate  to  have  been  sufiiciently  high. 
"I  have  entered  upon  a  business,"  he  writes  in  one  of  his  let- 
ters, "  which  I  consider  my  second  calling  ;  namely,  the  com- 
position of  hymns  for  public  worship,  one  of  the  hardest  things, 
in  my  judgment,  which  a  man  can  undertake.  One  must  be 
intelligible  to  the  general  mass  of  people,  and  still  do  justice 
to  the  dignity  of  religion.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  God 
has  given  me  grace  to  do  the  work  with  some  success."  But 
in  truth  his  qualifications  for  any  such  service  were  very  small. 
He  participated  eagerly  in  the  general  disposition  of  the  age 
to  substitute  reflection,  or  mere  imagination,  for  faith.  He 
lacked,  besides,  altogether  that  hearty  popularity  of  style, 
which  is  needed  to  carry  thoughts  home  to  the  common  mind. 


1856.]  Christian  Hymnology.  585 

Ilis  hymns  arc  elaborate,  high  sounding  odes  ;  rhapsodies 
ratlicr,  tliat  move  on  exclamation  points  like  stilts.  It  is  a 
significant  commentary,  indeed,  on  the  spirit  of  the  age,  that 
such  compositions  were  able  at  all  to  command  its  admiration. 
In  fact,  however,  he  teas  admired  far  and  wide.  AVith  many 
his  hymns  were  held  to  be  master-pieces  of  art,  ''  sounding 
like  the  resurrection  trumpet  to  the  lowest  depths  of  the  earth 
and,  far  above  the  stars."  With  such  reputation,  Klopstock 
had,  of  course,  as  well  as  Gellert,  many  imitators. 

To  the  Klopstock  circle  belong  :  John  And.  Cramer,  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  of  Kiel,  (1  1788  ;)  known  principally 
by  his  translation  of  the  Psalms;  his  hymnological  style  loses 
itself  at  times  in  the  clouds  of  mere  pathetical  declamation. 
John  Casp.  Lavater,  (t  1801;)  the  genial  and  eloquent  pastor 
of  St.  Peter's  church  at  Zurich ;  who  has  left  behind  him  as 
many  as  seven  hundred  hymns.  Christopher  Christian  Sturm, 
(t  1786;)  the  "  singer  of  God's  greatness  and  goodness  in 
Creation  and  Providence  ;"  some  of  whose  works  have  been 
widely  popular,  through  translations,  in  other  countries.  lie 
preached  Christ  and  the  Atonement,  we  are  told,  in  his  pulpit 
at  Hamburg ;  while  in  his  writings,  both  poetry  and  prose,  be- 
fore the  world  at  large,  his  religion  seems  to  run  out  for  the 
most  part  into  the  sentimental  contemplation  of  mere  nature  ; 
in  compliment  of  course  to  the  polite  but  wretchedly  shallow 
*^  Aufkliirung  "  of  the  period  to  which  it  was  his  misfortune  to 
belong.  Christian  Fred.  Dan.  Schubart,  (t  1791  ;)  he  com- 
posed a  number  of  hymns,  chiefly  during  his  imprisonment  of 
ten  years  in  the  castle  of  llohenasperg;  whose  declamatory 
pathos,  however,  was  shown  clearly  enough  to  have  been  the 
fruit  of  mere  transient  religious  impressions,  when  he  himself 
fioon  after  forgot  all,  and  lent  his  talent  to  the  service  of  the 
world  as  theatrical  poet  in  Stuttgart. 

The  tendency  which  affected  to  carry  out  the  spirit  of  Gellert, 
was  only  the  same  imbecility  of  faith  under  another  and  some- 
what different  form.  Having  no  power  to  say,  "  I  believe, 
and  therefore  I  speak,"  the  religious  weakness  in  question  was 
put  to  the  necessity  of  making  up  for  such  absence  of  positive 
Christianity  in  some  other  way  ;  and  for  this  the  choice  seemed 


586  Christian  Hymnology .  [October, 

to  lie  necessarily  between  the  theatrical  parade  of  sentimental 
feeling,  in  the  style  of  Klopstock,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
moralizing  tone  of  mere  naturalism,  which  miserably  aped  the 
style  of  Gellert,  on  the  other.  Under  this  latter  character, 
accordingly,  the  rationalistic  spirit  of  the  age  made  itself  felt 
in  the  sphere  of  hymnology,  still  more  broadly  than  under  the 
former.  It  is  not  necessary  here  to  go  into  details,  or  to 
quote  names.  All  who  took  part  in  the  movement  were  not  of 
course  equally  deficient  in  the  right  sort  of  purpose  and  abili- 
ty. But  even  the  better  poets  and  best  hymns,  belonging  to 
it,  were  not  free,  generally,  from  some  mark  of  the  dreary  and 
sickly  atmosphere  in  which  they  had  their  growth ;  while  alto- 
gether the  process  was  such  as  to  involve,  more  and  more,  an 
entire  corruption  of  the  sacred  interest,  unhappily  subjected  to 
its  power.  New  hymn  books  appeared,  with  all  sorts  of  so- 
called  *'Verbesserungen,"  suited  to  the  culture  of  the  age  ;  in 
the  use  of  which  the  congregations  were  taught  and  encour- 
aged everywhere,  to  sing  themselves  genteelly  into  full  forget- 
fulness  of  the  faith  once  sung  by  their  fathers. 

With  the  general  religious  reaction  of  later  years,  which  it 
is  usual  to  date  from  the  "  tricentennial  jubilee  "  of  the  Re- 
formation in  1817,  and  to  regard  as  the  result,  at  least  in  part, 
of  the  overflowing  social  and  political  calamities  of  the  time 
going  before,  there  has  appeared,  as  might  naturally  be  ex- 
pected, a  sounder  feeling  also  in  regard  to  the  hymnology  of 
the  Church,  and  a  disposition  to  see  it  reanimated  once  more, 
if  possible,  with  something  of  the  power  of  its  old  life.  To 
what  the  efforts,  which  are  made  for  this  purpose,  may  at  last 
come,  remain  yet  to  be  seen.  The  great  difficulty  is,  that 
they  are  too  much  the  offspring  of  mere  artistic  judgment  and 
taste.  What  is  thus  composed,  with  reflection  and  calculation, 
can  never  be  popular  poetry,  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term. 
It  is/(9rthe  people  only,  not  from  the  people,  the  unconscious 
outbirth,  as  it  were,  of  their  own  life.  "  However  elegant  and 
correct  these  modern  compositions  may  bo,"  says  Gervinus, 
"and  allowing  them  also  to  be  the  product  of  genuine  piety 
and  belief,  no  one  can  persuade  me  that  they  carry  in  them 
the  same  old  faith  which  gave  birth   to  the  old  hymns,    and 


1856.]        Historical  Pretensions  of  Free-misonry.  587 

alonoj  with  tliis  the  voiin:]:  fresh  streu;]:th  which  siiii;'  tliose  old 
hymns  as  shicM  ami  sword  against  all  evil.  Our  Christian 
convictions  siaiplj  taken  may  have  become  intellectually  bet- 
ter grounded,  our  taste  more  cultivated,  our  versification  and 
music  more  artificially  complete  ;  but  the  imposing  power  of 
that  Old  faith,  the  grandeur  of  that  unpretending  simplicity, 
which  works  far  more  deeply  than  the  most  finished  refinement 
of  the  modern  hymns,  is  for  the  present  lost  to  us  in  religion, 
poetry  and  music."  This  is  a  melancholy  judgment,  coming 
from  so  high  a  source;  but  it  is  one,  for  which  we  fear  that 
there  is  but  too  good  reason  in  the  actual  state  of  the  Church 
at  this  time  in  Germany. 

This  article  leaves  out  of  view  entirely  the  hymnology  of 
Protestant  Christianity  in  other  countries.  Historically  con- 
sidered, this  cannot  be  said  to  deserve  indeed  much  separate 
consideration.  The  history  of  hymnic  poetry,  as  an  art,  has 
continued  to  llow  ever  since  the  llcformation,  with  by  far  its 
broadest  and  deepest  stream,  in  Protestant  Germany  ;  and 
here  also,  what  is  curious  to  observe,  almost,  though  not  alto- 
gether, exclusively  in  the  bosom  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Lancaster,  Pa.  J.  W.  N. 


Art.  IV.— IirSTORICAL  PRETENSIONS  OF  FREE-MASONRV. 

It  is  not  the  purpose,  of  this  paper  to  discuss  the  merit  or  de- 
merit of  Masonry  as  an  existing  institution.  It  may  have  one 
or  the  other  of  these,  for  aught  we  know,  or  wish  to  inquire  at 
this  time.  It  is  well  known  that  honest,  and  respectable,  and 
religious  men  in  almost  every  convmunity  are  members  of  the 
order,  and  to  these  we  hope  to  say  riothing  offensive,  as  they 
will  have  the  discrimination  to  perceive  that  the  discussion   to 


588  Hutorical  Pretensions  of  Free-masonry.  [October, 

■ftliich  we  invite  them  does  not  pertain,  except  incidentally,  to 
the  essential  nature,  but  only  to  the  historical  claims  of  the  in- 
stitution. We  propose  to  ourselves  merely  an  exercitation  in 
the  wide  field  of  history. 

The  historical  questions  pertaining  to  any  institution  are 
always  important,  especially  where  the  institution,  unlike  the 
ladies,  is  particularly  desirous  to  be  considered  ancient.  And 
historical  questions  are  amongst  those  which  any  student, 
whether  initiated  or  uninitiated,  is  fully  authorized  to  investi- 
gate. The  field  of  history  is  a  broad,  free  common,  where 
there  are  no  pre-emption  rights,  and  no  authority  to  forbid 
trespass.  And  any  one  is  at  liberty  to  expose  historical  pre- 
tensions which  are  unfounded,  because  the  sanction  of  antiqui- 
ty  is  too  weighty  and  sacred  to  allow  it  to  be  unjustly  appro- 
priated. Besides,  groundless  claims  to  great  antiquity,  involve 
a  sort  of  false  pretence  or  fraud,  upon  society,  which  any  man 
may  feel  morally  bound  to  expose.  The  particular  sphere  in 
which  the  claims  are  put  forth  is  of  no  consequence;  the  claims 
themselves,  in  so  far  as  they  are  historical,  must  ever  be  open 
to  scrutiny.  Any  one  who  knew  the  facts  would  not  only 
have  been  authorized,  but  in  honor  bound  to  prove  that  Bar- 
num's  negro  woman,  whom  he  passed  ofi"  upon  the  credulous 
public  as  the  nurse  of  General  Washington,  aged  one  hundred 
and  thirty,  was  not  honored  with  any  such  particular  age. 
If  the  quondam  Know-Nothings  had  put  forth  the  claim  that 
they  were  the  legitimate  successors  of  the  order  of  friars  in 
Italy  in  the  sixteenth  century,  who  bound  themselves^by  sol- 
emn oaths  that  they  would  neither  know,  learn,  nor  under- 
stand anything  at  all,  but  answer  every  question  by  the  word, 
'•  nescio^' — I  know  nothing, — we  should  feel  at  liberty  to  say 
they  were  mistaken,  and  to  show  that  the  claim  to  such  anti- 
quity was  wholly  unfounded.  We  hold  that  historical  preten- 
sions, of  whatever  kind,  are  always  open  to  discussion  and 
must  abide  the  scrutiny  of  fair  investigation. 

But  \t  is  quite  possible  that  some  of  the  ''  brethren  of  the 
mystic  tie,"  would  fain  meet  us  at  the  outset  with  a  caveat, 
and  attempt  to  bar  all  further  proceedings  on  the  ground  that 
we,  being  among  the  uninitiated,  are  not  competent  to  investi- 


THE 


MEllCEllSBUIlG 


QU7VRTERLY  REVIEW, 


VOLUME  VIII.--1856. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION 


/rnnklin  nuii  aSflrsjjnll  €n\\t^t 


Neque  enim  quajro  intclligere  ut  credam,  sed  credo  ut  intelUgam. — Ansrl'ni 


(Cljainbtrslinrg,  ^U,: 

PRINTED    r>YM.    KIEFFER    4  CO. 

185G. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  OF  VOE.  VIII. 


NO.  L 

ARTICLE.  PAGE. 

I.  BOARDMAN  ON  THE  CHRISTIAN  MINISTRY,  -  1 

By  Rev.  II.  Ilarbaugh,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

II.  Sketches  of  a  Traveler  from  Greece,  Con- 

stantinople, Asia  Minor,  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine, -         -        -         -         -        -        -        40 

By  Prof.  A.  L.  Ka'ppen,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

III.  Faith  and  Reason, 80 

a  Sermon  by  Dr.  Ranch. 

lY.  Chief  Justice  Gibson,  -        -        -        -        94 

By  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

V.  Abelard,  Abraham  and  Adam,      -        -        -      123 

VI.  Liturgical  Contributions,  -        -        -      152 

VII.  Short  Notices.  -----      159 

NO.  II. 

I.  Sudhoff's  Olevianus,  .  -        -        -      163 

Translated  from  the  German  "by  Rev.  H.  Rust,  Cincinnati,  0. 

II.  Tholuck's  Guido  and  Julius,        -        .        .      198 

By  Rev.  F.  W.  Kremer,  Lebanon,  Pa.. 

III.  Maey  Tv^eeping  at  the  Sepulchre,       -        -      221 

a  Sermon  by  Dr.  Rauch. 

IV.  Dr.  Murdock  on  Rauch's  Psychology,  -      235 

By  Prof.  E.  V.  Gerhart,  Lancaster,  Pa., 

V.  Kalewala  and  IIiawatka,  -  -  -      255 

By  T.  C.  P.,  Pa. 

VI.  The  Idea  of  Prayer,  .        .         -  -       276 

By  Rev.  S.  N.  Callcnder,  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

VII.  The  Episcopate  Viewed  as  a  Centre  of  Uni- 
ty,         209 

By  Rev.  Philip  Berry. 

VIII.  Short  Notices.  .        ^        -        .        -      313 


CONTENTS, 


ARTICLE.  PASS. 

NO.    III. 

I.  The  Liturgic,  and  Reformed  Theory  of  Prayer,     ai7 

By  a  Presbyterian  Divine. 

II.  Sketches  of  a  Traveler  from  Greece,  Con- 

stantinople, Asia  Minor^  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine.— My  Travels  in  Peloponnesus,         -         350 

By  Prof.  A.  L.  Kceppen,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

III.  Whateley's  Future  State,        .        -        -        384 

By  S.  N.  a. 

IV.  Liturgical  Contributions,     -        -        -        -    415 

Y.  Dedication  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  Col- 
lege,   436 

Addresses  by  Prof.  E.  V.  Gerhart,  and  Emlen  FranMin, 
Esq. 

YI.  The  Church  Year. 456 

By  John  W.  Nevin,  D.  D.,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

VII.  The  Christian  Standpoint,        _        .        -      478 

By  Prof.  M.  Kieffer,  Tiffin,  Ohio. 

VIII.  Short  Notices, 498 

NO.  lY. 

I.  American  Nationality,        -        -        .        -         501 

By  Philip  Schaff,  D.  D.,  Mercersbur-g,  Pa. 

II.  Rev.  Jacob  Lischy,      -----        524 

By  Rev.  H.  Harbaugh,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

III.  Christian  Hymnology,       _        -        -        .        549 

By  John  W.  Nevin,  !>.  D.,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

lY.  Historical  Pretensions  of  Free-Masonry,         587 

By  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

v.  The  Character  of  an  Earnest  Man,  -  606 

By  Prof.  E.  V.  Gerhart,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

YI.  Typical  Character  of  the  Old  Testament 

Church,        -        -        .         .        -         .  6J5 

By  Prof.  T.  Apple,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

YII.  Short  Notices.        -        •        -         -       -         630' 


^Tercfrsburg  ^uartedg  ^cbielu. 


PROSPECTUS   FOR   1856. 

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